Broken Circle
by DietCokeIsLife
Summary: Sequel to Lost Soul! Takes place after Skybound and is loosely based on Day of the Departed! After receiving a distress call, the ninja travel back to the Departed Realm only to find themselves caught up in a civil war that has Morro right in the middle of it. The ninja have to face fears and old enemies, but the stakes are even higher whenever they notice Cole acting strangely...
1. Cross My Heart and Hope to Die

**Whaaat? The Lost Soul sequel is finally here?! Yes, it's true! I was hit with crazy inspiration and have been writing nonstop because it is Spring Break! Writing will probably come to a screeching halt once school starts again (and I have stuff I should be working on right now anyway, but oh well XD) but I've got *maybe* a little less than half written, and I hope that will be enough to update regularly until the end of the semester when I can start writing a lot again! :D**

 **So, in short, updates will be once a week on Saturday or Sunday. I know today is Wednesday, but I wanted to go ahead and post this to kind of test the waters with this prologue-ish first chapter (and I'm not sure I'll have time to post later in the week.)**

 **As I stated in the summary, this takes place after Skybound and is VERY loosely based on Day of the Departed. I have taken elements from Day of the Departed and changed them drastically, so any "inaccuracies" you see are in fact intentional. :D**

 **I hope you like it! I've been having a blast writing it! :D**

* * *

"It was an accident!"

Morro crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at the middle-aged ghost standing in front of him- Victor, he remembered- and the object he had in his hands. "You accidentally stole an entire tray of muffins?"

Victor peered down sheepishly at said prize in hand. "Well, you see- they… fell and when I went to pick them up, that old hag accused me of stealing and I got spooked and ran away…?"

Morro sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "What are the three rules, Victor?"

"Morro-"

"What are the three rules?"

When Victor hesitated, biting his lip, Morro cupped a hand around his ear and leaned forward, indicating that he was not going to back down.

"One, special abilities are used only with permission and never on other Lost Souls," Victor recited with the air of someone who had repeated this a hundred times before. "Two, commit three crimes, and you're out. Three… you're in charge," he finished quietly, bowing his head.

"Good. So, you can't feign ignorance," Morro placed his hands on his hips and shook his head at Victor with the expression of a disappointed father, even though the ghost in front of him was much older. "This is your second crime, Victor."

"I know…"

"Look, if you want something, you work for it. If the old hag won't give you a fair deal, talk to me and I'll handle it. But, no more stealing." Morro shook his head. "Don't let there be a third crime, alright?"

Victor sighed. "There won't be."

Nodding in satisfaction, Morro turned away and began picking his way through the many, many tents of the Lost Soul encampment. They had been camping here in this forest clearing, just outside a small village- with the bakery from which the muffins had been pilfered- but Morro thought it was approaching the time to move on.

"Morro!"

The ghost stopped when he heard his name called, watching the old woman approach. Everyone called her Nana, even though she was relatively spry for her age.

"I finished the survey like you asked, and we don't have enough blankets for everyone that's requested one," she explained.

Morro tapped his chin. "When does your shift end?"

"I'm doing a double today. Taking over for Molly for a favor."

Morro balked. " _Again_? Does she _ever_ work?"

"Well, ever since she struck up a relationship with Clem, she's been pretty… _distracted_ if you know-"

Morro held up both hands. "I _don't_ need details. Fine, as long as she's following through on her favors." He tapped his chin, returning to the problem at hand. "Hm… Go into town and find the shop called 'Wyvern Weavers.' They gave us a good deal before."

Nana saluted him. "Will do, boss."

She marched off, and Morro continued on his way, waving and smiling at people who called out to him, though in truth he just wanted to lie down and close his eyes and not have to _think_ for a little while. He'd embarked on this journey with the Lost Souls to find homes for wayward ghosts, but it seemed that with every ghost they placed, two more joined their caravan. Morro cared for all of them, he did, but sometimes-

"Morro!"

He barely bit back a groan.

He looked down to see two of his younger charges, eight or nine year old boys, run up to him.

"What's up, little man?" He asked.

"We're playing Ninja and Mikey said I have to be Lloyd 'cuz I'm younger, but I always have to be Lloyd and I want to be…," he stopped, suddenly bashful. "Well, I want to be you."

"I told you, I get to be Morro because I'm older," Mikey declared, crossing his arms righteously.

Old Morro probably would have snapped at the kids to get lost for wasting his time with this _not_ problem, but new Morro was… touched, honestly, that they were fighting over who got to be _him_.

"Look, Mikey, to make it fair, you've got to switch every time you play," Morro explained. "But, you guys do know that Lloyd and I are on the same side now, right?"

"Well, yeah, but it's awesomer this way," the other boy- Steven? Yeah, that was it- Steven replied, since Mikey seemed too disappointed in Morro's answer to respond.

Morro smirked and shrugged. "Fair enough. Carry on. And, make me look good, yeah?"

"Yeah!" The two boys answered in unison before running off, chasing each other.

Finally, Morro made it to his tent, sighing in relief when he wasn't trapped by anyone else in desperate need of his assistance. Passing through the flap, he saw Gem coloring on a piece of paper with her multitudinous crayons and Corrine reading a book.

"Ugh," he groaned, collapsing onto his sleeping bag and closing his eyes.

"Rough day?" Corrine asked, looking up from her novel with a smirk. No one could say Morro didn't try hard. In fact, he reminded her of Cole in that way. She remembered bursting into tears during one of her drunken episodes, and instead of running away or crying with her, Cole had only hugged her. _"What's wrong, Mommy? I'll make it better. I'll make it better and then you won't cry anymore, right, Mommy?"_

"It's days like these that make me wish I was on my own again," Morro answered, eyes still shut as if he was trying to catch a few Zs in between questions.

Gem looked up sharply. "You don't mean that."

Morro opened one eye and grinned at her. "You're right. I don't." Rolling onto his stomach, he grabbed a blank piece of paper and a random crayon and started work on his own masterpiece.

Peaceable silence returned- until Gem looked over at Morro's paper. "What is _that_ supposed to be?"

Morro paused in his coloring, staring down at his creation. "Are you blind? It's a horse!"

Gem laughed. "Horses don't usually have flippers."

"They're not- Oh, like yours is so much better…," he trailed off when he looked over at Gem's paper and saw a… _really_ good drawing of himself, Gem, and Corrine. Grumbling, he flipped his paper over to the blank side. "I'm starting over."

Gem laughed again as she put the finishing touches on her own work.

And, Morro was _just_ starting to relax, _just_ starting to set down the load he carried with him all day… when a ghost hesitantly poked her head into the tent.

"Um, Mr. Morro, sir?"

Morro sighed, sitting up. "It's just Morro, Daisy."

The ghost was a little older than Corrine but extremely shy, and it seemed no matter how much Morro did to put her at ease, she couldn't help but be nervous around him.

"Oh, uh, sorry, Mister- I mean, sorry… Morro."

"It's okay." He smiled to try to put her at ease, but she only tensed up more. "What is it?"

She held out an envelope. "A letter came for you."

Morro, now mildly intrigued, stood up and took the letter from her. "Thanks."

Seemingly grateful to have completed her task, she quickly retreated from the tent without another word.

"Talkative, isn't she?" Corrine chuckled as Morro tore open the envelope that was blank other than his name scribbled across the front of it and grunted his agreement.

"What's it say? What's it say?" Gem asked excitedly, bounding to her feet and standing on her tiptoes to try to read the letter.

Morro purposely held it out of her reach, eyes scanning the contents thoroughly. When he finished, he only said, "Hm."

"Hm?" Corrine repeated, raising an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"What does it say?" Gem demanded again, stomping her foot in frustration.

Morro stared down at the letter as he spoke, as if not quite believing the contents of it. "Well, it seems I have been invited to the First Annual Gathering of the Baddies."

"Huh?" Gem asked, cocking her head.

"All of the ninja's worst enemies that are here in the Departed Realm under one roof. Chen, Cryptor, Kozu, Samukai. It's almost heartwarming," he joked, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. "Man, I hope I win Prom King."

Gem balked. "Wait, you're not _going_ , are you?"

"Of course I'm going."

"But, you're not bad anymore," Corrine pointed out.

"True. But, they don't know that." Morro pointed at a particular line in the letter, even though neither Gem nor Corrine could see it. "It says here 'Revenge is a dish best served cold, so pack a sweater.' Aside from being incredibly stupid, it sounds to me like we're going to be planning something."

"How?" Corrine asked. "I mean, if you're all trapped here in the Departed Realm, how could you possibly get revenge on the ninja?"

"That's what I intend to find out."

"But, you _can't_ go!" Gem protested, tugging on his sleeve. "What will we do here without you?"

"You two can handle things well enough while I'm gone."

Gem hesitated, still holding onto his sleeve. "I don't _want_ you to go."

Morro smiled, crouching down to Gem's eye level. "I'm going to miss you too, Gem. Look, it's _probably_ just going to be a bunch of old guys sitting around, arguing over who got closest to world domination and voting on their least favorite ninja. But, if it's _not_ … someone's got to be there to find out what their plan is. If it seems legitimate, I've got to warn the ninja."

Gem pouted, crossing her arms.

"A day there, a day for the meeting, a day back. Three days tops."

Gem raised her eyebrows. "Three days?"

"Three days," Morro promised, then traced an x on his chest. "Cross my heart and hope to die… again."

Gem finally relented and giggled. " _Fiiiiine_."

Morro grinned then grabbed her suddenly, swinging her into the air. " _'Fiiiiine_ ,'" he mimicked, easily tossing her onto his shoulders while she gasped for air through her laughter. "Just be glad you're not the one stuck going to a boring conference with a rock, a tin can, a pile of bones, and a weird old guy. If we start signing each other's yearbooks, I'm going to _freak_ …"

* * *

"Ugh, there's nothing to eat…," Kai moaned, opening the nearly empty cupboards of the Destiny's Bounty's kitchen and seeing only a half full box of cereal that may or may not have been stale. "Who's turn is it to go to the store?"

Zane peered at the chore schedule taped to the fridge. "Yours, Kai."

"Oh. Riiiight…"

"There's plenty of fruit," Lloyd pointed out, halfway through peeling his own breakfast orange.

"Fruit's dumb," Kai replied steadfastly, crossing his arms.

"Fruit's dumb?" Nya laughed, reaching for an apple on the counter. "What does that even mean?"

"Simple. It means-"

He was cut off by Jay's shriek as the blue ninja leapt out of his chair and ran out of the kitchen, stopping just outside the doorway and peering into the room with a terrified expression.

The other four ninja were on their feet. "What is it, Jay?!"

Jay, trembling, pointed at the table. "Sp-sp-spider!"

They immediately relaxed with exasperated groans.

"Don't scare us like that!" Lloyd reprimanded as Zane, unafraid of bug bites, held his hand out and let the spider crawl into his palm.

Kai ogled the arachnid in the nindroid's hand. "Jay, that thing is _tiny_! With the way you screamed bloody murder, I was expecting it to be at least three inches wide!"

Jay, blushing, shuffled back into the room only when Zane passed him on his way to the deck. Bending down, the nindroid let the spider crawl out of his hand. "There you go, little one."

"Well, can you blame me?" He protested, hesitantly approaching the table as he searched thoroughly for any of the spider's brothers or sisters. "Ever since you guys forced me to-"

He cut himself off when he saw Nya's eyes widen, and she subtly shook her head.

 _Forced me to get the Tiger Widow venom_ , was the end of his sentence. But, that never happened. Because Jay's last wish had erased that entire timeline, leaving only him and Nya with any memory of Nadakhan and his sky pirates.

Lloyd and Kai shared a look when Jay went suddenly mute. "Forced you to what?" Lloyd asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jay sputtered as he tried to think on the fly, which was certainly not one of his best skills. "When you guys… forced me to… to… go outside where I was… bit. By a spider." He coughed, looking away. "It really hurt."

Lloyd and Kai shared another confused look as Zane reentered the room. Jay smiled sheepishly at Nya, who sighed and rolled her eyes affectionately.

Zane suddenly spoke up, and Jay was grateful for the distraction from his poor cover up. "Is Cole awake yet? I haven't seen him this morning."

"Hey, you're right," Nya confirmed, furrowing her brow. "It's awfully late to still be sleeping. Should one of us check on him?"

Just at that moment, Cole entered the room, eyes still half-lidded with drowsiness.

"Good morning, Cole!" Zane greeted cheerfully as the black ninja passed him and headed directly for one of the unoccupied chairs at the kitchen table. "We were just talking about you."

Cole sat down heavily in the chair, resting his chin in his hand. "Morning."

"Are you okay, Cole?" Lloyd asked conversationally with a small frown. "You've been sleeping late a lot these past few days."

Cole straightened a little out of surprise. "I have been? Wait, what time is it?"

"Five to ten," Zane replied automatically.

"Oh," Cole said, scratching the back of his head. "I guess I didn't even realize. Sorry."

Jay was staring at Cole in open concern from the seat next to him. "It's okay as long as you're okay. Do you feel sick?"

Cole rolled his eyes. "I can't get sick. I'm a ghost, remember?"

Before Jay could retort or anybody could address the biting tone of Cole's last statement, the lights flickered. The six ninja looked up then shivered when a chilly breeze suddenly swept through the room.

"What's going on?" Kai demanded, though his voice was nearly drowned out by the droning howl of the spontaneous gale.

"Wait, isn't this… _familiar_?" Nya asked as the lights flickered on and off with increasing rapidity.

Cole peered down at his hands in horror, feeling something tugging at him, feeling something in his core… _shift_. "Guys-"

The lights stopped flickering. The wind instantly died.

And, Cole was gone.

* * *

Cole's eyes snapped open, and he gasped deep breath after deep breath. He was suddenly standing where he had been sitting before, and vertigo made his head pound as he tried to keep his footing.

He squinted at his dim surroundings. Some tent. There were candles, but it was clearly night outside the canvas. He tried to take a step forward, but it was as if there was some invisible wall, some force that was blocking his path.

His eyes dropped to the chalk circle on the ground that was holding him in place.

"Cole?"

He whipped around, looking down at-

" _Gem_?" He shouted incredulously, peering down at the six year old ghost that had once enslaved him. But, she was in the Departed Realm- there was no way- how could she- unless…

He glanced at the chalk circle on the ground again. "You… you _summoned_ me?"

Gem was still wearing the white party dress that Cole could only assume she had died in, though it was now lacking any Soul Stones whatsoever. She still bore the blond curls, the blue eyes… but something was off about her. Her glow was so dim it was almost nonexistent. The blue eyes were dull- and they suddenly filled with tears.

"Morro's in danger."

* * *

 **Bum bum BUM! XD So, what did you guys think? Is this what you were expecting from the Lost Soul sequel? Please let me know! :D**

 **Also, I'm all caught up on Season 8 and can I just say: :O :O :O :O :O! No spoilers here, but I think it's great so far! :D**


	2. You Owe Him

**Wow, I am so happy to see the response Broken Circle has gotten so far! I had planned on replying to reviews this morning, but Fanfiction is being super slow, so once it fixes itself, I will do that! :D**

 **A word about updates: as I stated last chapter, updates will be once a week on Saturday or Sunday! But, if I manage to find time on a Wednesday in my busy school schedule, I'll do a sort of bonus update then! So, definitely once on the weekends and maybe on Wednesdays, but I won't post any other days so I can maintain some sort of a schedule :D**

 **Special thanks to: RandomDragon2.0, YinYangBroandSis, Star, iNeedCoffiee, Tex1412, QueenoftheJordan, xxXTheySayI'mEvilXxx, Echo15, tashared12, TheYellowNinja, Peanut2196, RobinLost, IDontHaveAName, Crystal Cea, Drawkill Vear, PrairieSkies, DendriteQuartz, Plumcicle, and ABCSKW123-IX for reviewing! I love you all!**

 **Star: Thank you so much! :D**

 **QueenoftheJordan: Haha, thanks!**

 **Echo15: Haha, Morro in charge was definitely so fun to write XD I definitely see Jay and Nya messing up and mentioning Skybound a lot XD I hope you like this chapter as well! Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: Yay, I'm glad you liked the title! I wanted it to be something reminiscent of Lost Soul :D I'm so happy you liked all those parts! I hope you like this one as well! :D See above for a word on updates :D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **IDontHaveAName: Aw, I'm so happy you liked Lost Soul and looked forward to the sequel! I am SOOO excited about writing it and so happy I managed to post sooner than I thought! I hope you like this chapter too! Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **Plumcicle: Haha, yes, this is definitely not good ;D Thanks for reviewing!**

* * *

"Morro's in danger."

Cole balked, shaking his head. "Wait, what? Start from the beginning. Why did you-"

"We don't have _time_ for this!" Gem shouted, clenching her fists and glaring at Cole. "Morro is in _danger_. And, whatever he did, he did for _you_. You owe him. You have to come save him. You _have_ to!"

Cole waved his hands frantically in front of him. "Gem, I don't understand. What did Morro do for us? Why is he in danger?"

She groaned in frustration. "He went to a meeting with all of _your_ worst enemies and- and messed something up or-or took something he wasn't supposed to, and now the entire Departed Realm is looking for him," she explained tearfully. "And, if they catch him, I know they'll do something awful to him, so-so you _have_ to save him. He messed up their plan to get revenge on the ninja, so you owe him. You _owe_ him."

Cole rubbed his eyes, trying to comprehend the flood of information. "Revenge on the ninja? How? I mean… they're dead, so-"

"You're not _listening_!" Gem screamed, stomping her foot. "There is a bounty on Morro's head! You guys are the only ones that can protect him!"

"Gem, we can't just 'hop into the Departed Realm.' It's-"

"If you don't come, I'll do something really bad to your mommy."

Cole went pale. "Gem, don't you _dare_ -"

"I'll make her forget who you are. I'll make her hate you. You know I can," She continued, struggling to speak through her sobs. "And, tell the others I'll find everyone here that they care about, and I'll do the same thing to them unless you come and save Morro."

"Okay, okay, okay. Gem?" Cole tried to calm her down, though a million red flags were going up in the back of his mind. "Tell me about the plan. What did Morro do? Why are they after him?"

"I don't _know_!" Gem replied tearfully, burying her face in her hands. "Something… something about becoming human again."

Cole gasped. " _What_?"

Suddenly, the tent flap shifted out of place and Corrine stepped through the opening. "Gem, what are you-"

Her face went slack when her eyes landed on her son standing helplessly inside the chalk circle on the ground. "Cole?!"

The black ninja's heart leapt at the sight of the dead mother he hadn't seen in so long. "Mom!" He tried to go to her, but once again the circle forced him back.

Corrine blinked, smiling faintly at Cole. She moved to embrace him, then stopped upon seeing the circle on the ground. Swallowing, she turned back to the girl. "Gem, what did you _do_?"

"They're the only ones that can save Morro!" Gem argued. Her tone was defiant, but her eyes were pleading. "They have to come!"

Corrine gaped in horror. "Come _here_? Gem, you know they want the ninja dead just as badly as they want Morro caught! You can't-"

"But, Morro needs help! They'll-they'll-"

"Okay, okay!" Cole shouted, trying to play peacekeeper. "Where is Morro now?"

Gem threw her hands up in desperation. "Nobody knows! That's why you have to come _find_ him!"

"Gem-"

Cole paused when the wind starting picking up again, and the candles scattered around the tent started flickering.

"Remember what I said," Gem warned, her voice as hard as steel. "I'll do it if you don't come."

But, Corrine was shaking her head frantically. "No, Cole, _don't_ come, it's way too-"

Her voice was drowned out by the wailing wind.

"Mom!" He shouted just before feeling that same tugging at his insides, like he was a fish on the end of a line.

The candles went out, and Cole disappeared.

* * *

"What do you mean this isn't the time to panic?!" Jay shouted, grabbing the front of Lloyd's green gi. "Cole just winked out of existence, and you don't think that's cause for panic?!"

"I'm saying we shouldn't panic until we know for sure that Cole _did_ 'wink out of existence,'" Lloyd corrected, gently prying Jay's hands off his gi. "He's a ghost. He disappears sometimes."

"Not _mid-sentence,_ " Kai pointed out, crossing his arms. "The last time he disappeared like that, it was into the long sleep."

Jay made a strangled squeaking noise, and Nya put a hand on his shoulder. "But, didn't you guys feel that? It was just like that time we used the Summoning Spell! The wind, the lights, everything!"

"Cole seemed distressed," Zane stated quietly. "Wherever he went, he did not want to go there."

Just as Jay was about to argue that that made this the perfect time to panic, the lights flickered on and off. All the ninja tensed, struggling to remain on their feet as wind tore at their clothes and hair-

And, Cole reappeared, rolling across the kitchen floor and barreling into a chair, causing it to crash to the ground.

When the wind finally stopped, they could hear him moaning softly.

"Cole!" Jay shouted, kneeling by his side. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Cole propped himself up on his elbows and blinked rapidly at Jay in bewilderment, glancing all about the room as if he couldn't quite believe where he was.

"Give him some space, Jay," Lloyd ordered. Zane righted the chair, and Kai and Lloyd, each taking one of Cole's arms, half-lifted him into it.

"Cole?" Nya asked, placing her hand on the ghost's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Cole grabbed his head. "Yeah. Yeah…," he replied, still peering around the room as if checking to make sure he was in the same place he thought he was.

"What happened to you? Where did you go?" Jay demanded, concern making his tone harsher than he intended it to be.

"I… I got _summoned._ With a Summoning Spell," he explained, hesitantly looking at each of his siblings in turn. "Gem summoned me."

They gasped. "You went to the Departed Realm?" Kai asked, shocked.

Cole nodded. "She… she said that Morro was in danger and that we had to come save him."

Lloyd frowned. "Morro? In danger?"

"What has Morro done that specifically requires our assistance?" Zane asked, a thoughtful hand on his chin.

Cole took a deep breath. "I don't know a whole lot. All Gem told me was that all of _our_ worst enemies were planning something to get revenge on _us_ and… that it had to do with them becoming human again."

"What?!" Jay exclaimed, verbalizing the expressions on everyone's faces.

Cole continued regardless, "And Morro messed it up… _somehow_. Now, he's missing, there's a bounty on his head, and Gem says something bad will happen to him if he's caught, and…," he hesitated, dropping his eyes to the floor. "And, she said that if we didn't come… she'd do something bad to my mom."

His siblings gasped again, but Cole continued quietly. "And, she threatened to hurt anybody any of you cared about too."

"I _knew_ it!" Jay exclaimed, seething with anger. "I knew Morro couldn't reform her! She's still that same monster that-"

"Yeah, and I would've said the same thing, but she didn't seem evil or mad," Cole defended surprisingly, his eyes solemn. "She seemed… really, really scared."

"What do you think, Lloyd?" Nya asked hesitantly. "Should we… actually go? I mean, it sounds like Morro is in serious trouble."

"We cannot let any harm befall our loved ones," Zane stated firmly, his mouth pressed into a line.

"Yeah, and if our worst enemies are planning something, we've gotta stop them," Kai decided. "I mean, _Chen_? _Kozu_? Working _together_?" He hesitated, glancing at Lloyd uncertainly. "And, if Morro needs our help…"

Lloyd hummed, furrowing his brow. "Well, considering how many times we had to scrub the Destiny's Bounty after we travelled to the Departed Realm last time without permission, I say we ask Master Wu."

* * *

"And, then my mom said not to come because it was too dangerous, and then I was sent back here," Cole explained to Master Wu, who continued to stroke his beard as he had through the entire exchange.

Their sensei was silent for a moment, ruminating on all of the information he had been given.

"The enemies you have defeated, despite their being in a different realm, are still your responsibilities," he said, his tone grave. "And, Morro is our ally now. We help our allies when they are in need."

"I agree that we need to save Morro," Zane stated. "But, is what they are planning truly viable, Sensei? Could they become human again?"

Master Wu shook his head. "I do not know. But, the fact that Morro would place himself in such great danger to stop their plan from coming to fruition would suggest that it is possible. If your enemies return to Ninjago, there will be utter chaos, the likes of which we may not be able to stop. You must go to the Departed Realm to make sure this never happens."

He sighed, his usually emotionless face creasing with worry. "And, you must save Morro."

The six Ninja bowed and replied in unison, "Yes, Sensei."

* * *

Nya headed down the hallway toward her bedroom. She had directed the Destiny's Bounty to Hiroshi's Labyrinth, and Lloyd and Kai had volunteered to retrieve the Realm Crystal from Cyrus Borg's fortress, where the security had been temporarily disabled by the creator. After dropping the anchor, she left to prepare to travel into the Departed Realm once again as the others had- but paused when she passed by Cole's open door.

Curious, she peeked inside and saw the ghost on the other side of the room, leaning against the wall and staring out the window.

"Cole?" She called.

He didn't respond. Not only did he not respond, he didn't _react_ ; as in, he appeared not to have heard Nya at all, even though she had definitely been speaking loudly enough.

She moved farther into the room, now mildly concerned. "Cole?" She asked again. Again, no response.

Right behind him now, she reached out to touch his shoulder- and gasped as her hand went right through him. But-But, Cole was always solid now. Sure, he had struggled in the beginning, but by now Cole had mastered his new ghostly body- _hadn't he?_ \- and her hand should not have phased through him.

The gesture at least succeeded in catching the ghost's attention though, and he started upon seeing Nya right behind him.

"Oh, hey, Nya. Sorry I didn't see you there," he apologized sheepishly.

She frowned. "Are you alright? I called your name a few times…"

Cole blinked, obviously not having heard her at all. "You did? Huh, I guess must have spaced out there for a minute…"

She tried to touch his arm again- half to reassure herself and half to reassure him- and sighed in relief when she felt the solid mass of Cole's biceps beneath her hand. "Are you alright?" She repeated, not missing the fact that Cole hadn't actually answered her question.

"Yeah…," Seeing Nya's pointed look, though, he continued. "I mean, I'm just kind of freaked out by that whole Summoning Spell thing. I guess I never thought about it before, but with me being a ghost _anyone_ can make me go _anywhere_. It just… doesn't seem fair…," he trailed off with a mutter, looking away.

She sighed sympathetically. "I know, Cole. It isn't fair. But, you know that if something bad did happen to you, we would do anything to rescue you, right? I mean, look at what we did to get your Soul Stone back," she offered, smiling hopefully.

It dropped when Cole shook her arm off, expression still downcast. "Yeah. Thanks, Nya."

His tone of voice certainly indicated that this was a dismissal. Not usually liking to be put off so easily, Nya forced herself to let it drop. She didn't want to make it worse by pushing Cole to talk and ultimately pushing him away.

"Well… I'm here if you want to talk more about it," she said gently, walking toward the door.

Cole hummed to let her know he appreciated the sentiment before turning to stare out the window once again.

Nya sighed and shut the door behind her.

* * *

"Okay, so now you going to tell me about it?" Kai asked, elbowing Lloyd as the two of them headed toward the Realm Crystal's stronghold.

Lloyd jumped, looking back at Kai with wide, innocent eyes. "Tell you about what?"

"Lloyd, for a ninja, you are a _terrible_ liar," Kai teased, and the Green Ninja scoffed and rolled his eyes. "C'mon, I always know when something's bothering you." Assuming a more somber air, he asked more quietly. "Is it about Morro?"

Lloyd huffed, letting Kai know that he was correct in his assumption. "I know Morro's good and our ally now, but part of me can't help but think that… this is a trap," he finished, ducking his head in shame. "I know I forgave him, and I'm not trying to take that back or anything, but he _was_ bad. A lot of time has passed since we saw him last, so who knows if he's… gone back to his old ways?"

Suddenly, the Green Ninja buried his face in his hands. "Ugh, that makes me sound like such a bad person."

"No, you're not a bad person," Kai reassured, rolling his eyes at the notion. "I know how you feel. I hate going in only knowing what Cole said that Gem said, especially when it seems like even she doesn't really know what's going on, but… either way, we've got to check it out. Just because Morro's our ally doesn't mean we have to let our guards down completely."

Lloyd nodded, mouth pressed into a worried line.

Kai glanced uncertainly at the Green Ninja before asking his next question. "Do you still have nightmares about him?"

Lloyd stiffened, stumbling. He quickly reassumed his natural gait, as if that way he could cover up the fact that he'd been caught off guard. "Maybe." He paused, then, as if guessing Kai could pry it out of him no matter how obstinate he tried to be, he amended, "Sometimes."

Lloyd scrambled to continue, interrupting Kai before he could even begin speaking. "But, I'm fine! Just because I want to be cautious doesn't mean I'm still _scared_ of him. Oh, look, we're here," Lloyd pointed out awkwardly, quickly disappearing into the fortress.

Kai rolled his eyes, resolving to keep a close eye on his little brother.

* * *

"Is everybody ready?" Lloyd asked his team as they gathered in the den of the Destiny's Bounty, Master Wu and Misako looking on solemnly.

"Good luck, my students," Master Wu said. "Remember, the Realm Crystal must be protected at all costs." He sighed, stroking his long white beard. "That being said, there won't be any way for you to contact us. Use the Realm Crystal only in the event of a true emergency or when your mission is complete. As we know, ghosts can sneak through the portal once it's opened, so it is better to use the Realm Crystal as little as possible."

"We will," Lloyd replied steadfastly.

"Wait, as in _no_ contact with Ninjago?" Jay asked, anxiety creeping into his voice. "So, it's just us possibly going up against some of the worst villains of all time? That we only ever faced individually? _Alone_?"

"Keep in mind, Jay, that we are not trying to defeat them," Zane pointed out. "They are already in the Departed Realm. We are only trying to prevent them from becoming human again, if that is indeed possible."

"Somehow, that doesn't make me feel better," Jay muttered.

"We're going to be _fine_ , Jay," Kai argued flippantly, brushing off his brother's concern. "We always are."

Jay pouted. "I can think of plenty of times we weren't fine."

"Enough with the pessimism," Nya admonished, nudging Jay. "Are you guys ready or not?"

"Ready," the ninja chorused.

All except for one.

"Cole?" Zane asked, startling his ghostly companion out of his reverie.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm ready." Cole nodded, giving a thumbs up.

Lloyd hugged Misako, reassuring her that they would be back in no time and in one piece, then held the Realm Crystal aloft.

Glancing at Master Wu and Misako one last time, he activated the Realm Crystal, ripping open a hole spanning dimensions in the floor of the Destiny's Bounty. Immediately they felt a tugging toward the hole and, calling their goodbyes as they jumped, the six ninja dove into the Realm of the Departed.

The portal closed, leaving the Destiny's Bounty as calm and peaceful as it had been only moments before.

* * *

 **And, now we get the plot rolling! I hope you guys liked it :D**

 **A word about Five Times: at the moment, I have been pouring all of my energy into Broken Circle, so it might be a long time (probably after the semester is over) before the next Five Times comes out :( I'm sorry for disappointing anybody, but I am very excited about returning to that project once I finish this one! :D**


	3. Maybe You Know Him

**Yes, a Wednesday update! And, a super long chapter too! I hope you guys are enjoying this as much as I am! I'm really having a blast with this story :D**

 **Special thanks to: RandomDragon2.0, RobinLost, Drawkill Vear, Crystal Cea, ABCSKW123-IX, IDontHaveAName, Star, TheYellowNinja, Peanut2196, TheySayImEvil, and Breeze015 for reviewing! All of your reviews mean the world to me!**

 **IDontHaveAName: Thanks for understanding about school! It's so crazy this semester! :/ I will try to post on Wednesday as often as I can XD I am SOOO excited about posting this story! There's certainly something up with Cole. We'll see… ;D Thank you so much for commenting on the chapter titles! I actually put a lot of thought into them, so it's nice to know they're appreciated XD Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **Star: Gem hasn't exactly learned her lesson yet! XD We'll come back to that later ;D Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **TheYellowNinja: It makes me SOOO happy you're excited for this story, because I am PUMPED about posting it! Yeah, I really wanted to do Day of the Departed "my way," so the twists will continue to get twistier while sticking loosely to the actual episode :D Gem's not quite as good as we hoped she'd be XD And poor Cole indeed :'( I'll post on Wednesday as much as I can! Thank you so much! :D**

 **TheySayImEvil: Definitely coming! ;D I hope you like how I do DotD! We'll see the bad guys eventually ;D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

Inviting a rather intense sense of deja vu, all the ninja hit the ground hard, landing on top of one another and catching stray elbows and knees as they tried to determine which way was up.

"Ugh, get _off_ me, Zane!" Kai complained, shoving the nindroid none too gently to the side and sitting up.

And came face to face with no less than a hundred ghosts.

They appeared to be in a… _city_ of some sorts, skyscrapers stretching toward the sun on either side of them, rather modern shops and TV screens adorning the streets. They almost could have been in Ninjago City, and this image contrasted startlingly with the mostly desolate desert and jungle landscapes they had encountered during their last trip to the Departed Realm.

But, perhaps the most noteworthy sight was… well, _Morro_. His face was everywhere: wanted posters were plastered along every available surface, the same image of the ghost's defiant smirk displayed on the many, many screens and billboards.

The ninja barely had time to study these images though as the crowd of ghosts milling about the square suddenly reanimated after being shocked into stillness by their sudden and spectacular appearance.

"Hey, it's the ninja!" A male ghost shouted, pointing at the pile of teenagers. "Get them!"

Lloyd suddenly recalled Morro's voice. _"Here, everything's backwards. You're the bad guys_."

The ninja, true to their training, were immediately on their feet as the mob of ghosts rushed toward them.

"Retreat!" Lloyd called, leading the escape. They were hopelessly outnumbered, and there was no point in trying to fight when they still had no idea what was going on. Confident that his ninja were hot on his heels, he flipped over several ghosts' heads and kicked off a parked car, landing in the street.

Several cars honked and swerved to avoid them as they sprinted across, the drivers' mouths going slack once they realized who they had just seen.

Aided by a quick glance over his shoulder as they took turn after dizzying turn, Lloyd saw that the huge mass of ghosts were still hot their trail. He also knew his team was at a clear disadvantage. Lloyd had no idea the layout of the city, while their pursuers had probably lived there their whole lives- er, afterlives.

This hypothesis was only confirmed when he led his team into an alley- that was a dead end.

The ninja turned to face their opponents who were approaching more slowly now that their prey was cornered.

Thinking on his feet, Lloyd glanced at the buildings on either side of them. There were plenty of windows and alcoves that could provide footholds…

"Okay, guys, take to the-"

Lloyd cut himself off when three ghostly figures suddenly descended from the very rooftops he had been eyeing. They seemed to fly down, barely touching the walls, which suggested years of training and experience.

Two of them landed in _very familiar_ fighting stances before the ninja- but they weren't facing them. They were facing the approaching enemy ghosts, almost as if they were… _protecting_ the ninja. All six of the elemental masters were ogling the sudden arrivals with the same bewilderment Lloyd was experiencing.

"C'mon!"

The third ally(?) ghost waved her arm at them from where she was still clinging to the wall, gesturing for them to follow.

"Should we trust her?" Zane asked, glancing between the increasingly impatient woman and his leader warily.

The two fighters suddenly engaged with the enemy mob. They were taking out ghosts by the twos and threes, but it was only a matter of time before the pair of them would be overtaken.

"I say yes!" Kai shouted, leaping onto a windowsill that projected out from the face of the building.

Nodding curtly to let his (more obedient) teammates know that they were trusting this mysterious ghost (for now), Lloyd followed Kai's example, scaling the side of the building with ease. The blonde woman stayed several feet above them, constantly glancing back at them to make sure none of them had been left behind.

When they finally reached the rooftop, slightly winded, she gestured for them to follow her again. "C'mon! Ooh, we'll never make it…," she added as an afterthought, wringing her hands.

"What about them?" Cole asked, pointing over his shoulder at the two warriors valiantly covering their retreat- and quickly losing the advantage as they were overwhelmed by the numbers.

"They can take care of themselves," the woman reassured, already rushing off.

Shrugging, Lloyd took off after her, easily following her example as she leapt small gaps between buildings, obviously heading toward a specific destination.

Then, they heard it in the distance: a train whistle.

"Oh, we're not going to make it!" The woman repeated, increasing her pace.

The ninja shared a confused looks but sped up as well.

They could see train tracks in the distance, running perpendicular to their current path as they continued sprinting across buildings and clearing alleyways. The train itself they could see approaching from the right- at breakneck speed. And, it wasn't slowing down.

Nya spoke up, huffing slightly from the exertion. "Wait, are you telling me we're going to-"

" _Jump onto a moving train?_ " Jay finished, his voice jumping up into his "hysterical" register.

"I mean- yeah," the woman replied, the answer lacking the confidence that would have been immensely reassuring at the moment. "It's really not so bad. And, you guys were trained by Wu, right? You must have done worse than this!"

They stiffened, growing more suspicious now that this mystery ghost seemed to know so much about them.

She finally skidded to a stop at the edge of a building that was almost flush against the train tracks. The train was still a distance away, but it was approaching fast.

"Ready?" She asked, planting a foot on the slightly raised edge of the rooftop.

"This-This is insane!" Cole protested, watching the vehicle loom ever closer.

"Well, think about how the rest of us with very thin skin and very breakable bones feel!" Jay yelled, throwing his hands up into the air in his characteristic spazzy manner.

"Make sure to bend your knees!" Zane reminded them, getting ready to leap.

"Wait, we're actually _doing_ this?" Nya asked.

"If you guys want to stay behind and take your chance with those ghosts, be my guest," Lloyd said, psyching himself up to jump onto the top of a speeding train.

"It's going to look _so_ awesome!" Kai gushed, nearly trembling with anticipation.

"Not the time for you to be an adrenaline junkie, Kai!" Nya chastised.

"Okay, here it comes!" The woman called. The train was nearly upon them now. "When I say go! One… Two… Three- go, go, _go_!"

They jumped.

Lloyd, Cole, Zane, Nya, and the mystery woman, of course, landed on their feet, though they immediately fell into crouching positions so as to not be knocked off the train by the wind rushing around them.

Meanwhile, Jay fell on _top_ of the female ghost, who instinctively caught him and tucked him under her arm and close to her own body as she held on fast with the other hand.

Kai, even being the most excited about the stunt, had landed on the train but couldn't get a grip- and he started sliding off. He yelled wordlessly as he felt himself slide down the curve of the roof, legs dangling over the side of the train.

Cole reached out to grab his wrist-

His hand phased right through him.

Cole panicked, knowing he was about to watch his brother die because he couldn't make himself solid when he _thought_ he had progressed way beyond this stage of his ghost powers- but fortunately, Zane was also nearby and was just able to grab Kai's hand, though he grunted with the effort of supporting the full weight of his brother.

 _Get it together, Cole_ , he reprimanded himself. Trying again, he reached for Kai's unoccupied hand… and managed to grab it this time. Together, he and Zane hauled the red ninja back onto the roof of the train, and Kai breathed in deep breaths of relief as he grabbed on.

"You got a grip?" The woman shouted over the roar of the wind at Jay.

The blue ninja nodded wordlessly, staring at the woman with a perplexed look on his face. Sure, he was in awe of the way she had so easily snatched him out of the air, but that wasn't it. There was something about her, something…

Familiar.

Confident that Jay would not fly off the train, the woman inched forward, reaching for what looked to be a small door. After struggling with the handle for a moment, she managed to push the door inward and pull herself through. Moments later she reappeared, holding her hand out so she could help the ninja into the interior of the train as well.

Once everyone was inside, the female ghost shut the door in the roof again, and the ninja collapsed into various seats around the empty compartment, trembling with exertion as their hearts tried to slow down.

"Let's never do that again," Nya decided, slinging her arm over her eyes.

"Okay, okay, okay," Lloyd pushed himself to his feet and stalked toward the anonymous ghost even though he hadn't fully recovered his breath yet. "Who are you and where are you taking us? And, _what is going on_?"

The woman laughed nervously, scratching the back of her neck. Now that they could get a good look at her when they weren't running for their lives, they saw she had long blonde hair that went past her shoulders with a… _green streak_ in it that so resembled Morro's, it couldn't be a coincidence. She appeared to be in her mid twenties or so, and she was certainly considered pretty by the male occupants of the train car.

Except for Jay, who suddenly realized why she seemed so familiar.

After discovering that he was adopted in the alternate timeline that never happened, Jay had delved into research to find out as much as he could about his biological parents. Half of that search had been easy: anything and everything he wanted to know about Cliff Gordon was on the internet.

The other half had been a bit tougher. He had only found three or four good photographs of his mother in Master Wu's old photo albums, and there was a portrait or two of her at the museum.

And, now, she was standing right in front of him: Lydia, the former Master of Lightning.

"Right, I guess we should get to all the explaining stuff that usually takes a while- but I have to warn you guys I'm not too good at explaining, so just interrupt me if you have a question or think I'm being unclear or anything," Lydia prefaced, and Jay winced at how much of himself he could see in her- or rather, how much of her he could see in him? "So, I'm Lydia, nice to meet all of you. You're Master Wu's new students?"

They all shared a look- except Jay who was having a mini freak out in the corner.

Nya balked. "Wait, are you saying that you… used to be his student?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess I left that part out," Lydia laughed nervously. "I guess once an elemental master, always an elemental master, right?"

"What is your element?" Zane asked curiously, all of them relaxing now that they had found a natural ally in a fellow elemental master.

"Oh, well, I used to be Master of-"

"I'm Jay!" The blue ninja interrupted, standing up and extending his hand. Because if Lydia revealed her element- that was lightning- like his- they would know- that they must be related- and Jay- couldn't-process- this- right- now.

But, then he realized his mistake. Though he had figured out that his biological mother had died early in his life, which Jay concluded led to him being left up for adoption, she would most likely know her son's _name_. That, coupled with the knowledge that he was an elemental master would let her figure out that-

She smiled, taking his hand, obviously relieved that someone else was taking the initiative. "Nice to meet you, Jay."

She didn't know.

Reeling with this new information, Jay stumbled backward into his seat.

"I'm Lloyd, this is Zane, that's Cole," the Green Ninja introduced, pointing at the respective ninja, though he raised an eyebrow at Jay's strange behavior. "And, over there are Kai and Nya."

Lydia furrowed her brow. "Kai and Nya, Kai and Nya, why do those names sound familiar…?" She gasped, snapping her fingers. "You're Ray and Maya's kids!"

The siblings immediately straightened in their seats. "You knew our parents?" Kai asked eagerly.

"Oh, yeah, we go way back! Maya was always so sweet, like a big sister to me! And, Ray was… well, he was Ray," she chuckled fondly at the memory of her former teammates.

"So, you know what happened to them?" Kai asked, his tone insistent as he leaned forward in his seat. Nya placed a steadying hand on his arm.

Lydia's face crumpled, and she shook her head. "Oh, no, honey, we left the team at around the same time, and I, um, died pretty soon after that. I'm sorry."

Kai's face fell, and Nya leaned against him.

"May I ask why you left the team?" Zane questioned, apparently only to sate his own curiosity.

Lydia seemed suddenly embarrassed, even if ghosts were incapable of blushing. "Oh, I left for the same reason Ray and Maya left."

When it seemed like she might elaborate further, Jay spoke up, "Not to be rude, but can we please talk about what the heck is going on around here?" Because, Jay knew Ray and Maya left the team to raise a family, and Lydia explaining that she got pregnant would only lead to an interrogation about what her element was and who her child was… which would inevitably lead to the realization that the child in question was _right here_. Jay did _not_ want to open that can of worms just yet, so the best plan was to change the subject before anybody else connected the dots.

"Right," Lydia laughed nervously again then tapped her chin. "Hm, where should I start?"

"Is it true that all of our worst enemies have formed an alliance?" Lloyd prompted helpfully.

"Yes," she replied, revelling in the simplicity of the yes or no question. "Samukai, Chen, General Cryptor and his nindroids, and Kozu and his Stone Warrior army," she listed off on her fingers.

"Is it true that they could possibly become human again?" Zane asked.

"Well- I think so," Lydia explained sheepishly. "No one knows exactly what happened at the meeting- that is, all of the bad guys I just listed and Morro were invited to a meeting by some mysterious benefactor."

"Mysterious benefactor?" Nya repeated disbelievingly.

"No one knows who organized it!" Lydia insisted. "But, apparently, they found something called the Yin Blade. I don't know all the details, but somehow they can use it to become human again. So, Morro took it."

Lloyd furrowed his brow. "Morro took it?"

"He took the Yin Blade and disappeared. No one knows where he is now, but every ghost in the Departed Realm is looking for him."

"That's why there are all those wanted posters of him?" Cole asked. "The bad guys want to get the Yin Blade back from him."

Lydia nodded solemnly. "Right."

"So, what about the uh…," Kai trailed, gesturing at head so that where he was pointing mirrored the position of Lydia's green streak in her hair.

She peered at him uncomprehendingly, then brightened with understanding. "Oh!" She exclaimed, grabbing the green lock of hair self-consciously. "Well, that's the thing. It's basically a civil war. The bad guys have promised that anyone who catches Morro will also get to become human- so you can imagine that like eighty five percent of the Departed Realm is on their side. But, the fifteen percent of us who think the dead should stay dead put the green streak in our hair to identify us as Lost Souls."

All the ninja shared looks with each other. "Lost Souls?" Lloyd repeated.

Lydia slapped a hand to her face. "Ugh, I told you I wasn't very good at explaining. Lost Soul is the term we use for anyone that's on Morro's side of the war. It's the name of the camp he started with Gem that a lot of us are a part of."

Cole snapped his fingers. "The Gem and Morro Tour of Redemption!" He smiled. "Wow, I'm glad they shortened the name."

"Is this 'camp' where you're taking us now?" Lloyd asked, still mildly suspicious.

Lydia bobbed her head. "Yep! Gem and Corrine," Cole brightened at the mention of his mother, "are waiting for you guys! We weren't sure when- or if- you would arrive, but we managed to figure out that you would end up in the city, so we had teams patrolling there constantly. They must have heard the you guys are here by now."

"How long until we get there?" Kai asked impatiently, glancing out the window at the rapidly changing landscape.

"'Bout an hour or so? Then we have to drive for a little while…"

"What about defense?" Zane asked, a hand on his chin. "Surely our enemies must have heard of our arrival by now as well."

"They don't know where the camp is- and we take great pains to make sure they don't find out," Lydia reassured. "And, the train is just about the only territory we have in the city. We just don't have the numbers to defend anything else."

She breathed out a deep exaggerated breath, collapsing onto a seat. "That was a lot of explaining. Are you guys good for now?"

They shared smirks at her over dramatic behavior. "Yeah, we're good," Cole informed her.

And, they were good, for now at least. They sank into their chairs, ruminating on all of the new information they had received, revelling in the last few moments of peace before they threw themselves into a war.

Jay scrambled to get his thoughts in order, throwing glance after glance at Lydia in front of him and across the aisle. She didn't know who he was- so what was he supposed to say?! How was he supposed to talk to the mother he had never met?!

But, he had stared at those few photographs for hours, wondering what it would be like just to talk to her, just to _meet_ her, just to ask her… why they gave him up.

And, here was his chance. Right in front of him. She was _right there_ …

After twenty minutes of building up the courage, Jay stood and shuffled out his seat and approached hers, earning quite a few stares from his teammates.

"Can I, uh…," he faltered when she looked up at him with the friendly, downright sparkling blue eyes. "Can I sit here?" He asked lamely, pointing at the empty seat beside her.

"Of course!" She smiled invitingly, and the blue ninja sank into the chair gratefully. "Jay, right?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, glancing behind him to make sure his siblings were embroiled in conversations of their own and wouldn't overhear his. "I, uh, just wanted to ask you about- you know, earlier when you said you left for… the same reasons as Ray and Maya- I don't mean to pry! I was just curious-"

She laughed. It was rather unattractive, like the braying of a donkey, but that only meant it was sincere and Jay found himself grinning at the sound of it.

"No, no, it's okay!" She reassured, patting his arm. "I don't mind- I like talking about it!" She sighed, as if looking longingly back into the past. "I got pregnant at around the same time Maya did, so I left the team. Cliff and I were dirt poor at the time, but he was going to hit his big break any day! He was an incredible actor," she added, her tone lovesick and reminding him entirely too much of the voice he used when talking about Nya.

"And the baby?" Jay all but whispered, watching his mother with bated breath. He didn't think he would get so emotional since he hadn't even known her and Edna was his _mom_ mom, and yet, here he was, wishing she would keep talking forever.

Lydia's face fell, and her hand subconsciously drifted to her stomach, as if she could still feel the baby bump there. "My son- sorry, Cliff and I were still arguing about the name by the time he was born, so I don't know what Cliff ended up calling him. I… died in childbirth."

Jay gaped in horror. "I'm… sorry."

She looked away, composing herself. When she looked back there was a smile on her face, but Jay could tell it was forced if only because he had made the same exact expression too many times to count.

"It's okay," she reassured him. "I have the Lost Souls to keep me company until he and Cliff get here. I can't wait to meet him!"

And, Jay felt the sudden impulse to tell her right then and there. Announce it to the whole train car, _it's me_ , _it's me_ , _I'm right here_!

When Lydia kept speaking.

"I spend a lot of my time imagining what he'll be like," she laughed, leaning her head back against the seat. "I mean, he'll have my sense of humor, of course, and Cliff's good looks. If he inherited my element, then he'll be a fighter, which means he'll be brave and strong."

Jay shut his mouth with a click when he saw Lydia's dreamy expression, apparently seeing the image of the son she had created in her mind.

Sense of humor? Well, definitely. But, good looks? Brave? Strong? No, no, and no. Really, more of a lover than a fighter despite his full time job as a ninja.

Lydia suddenly brightened. "Hey, maybe you know him! The Master of Lightning? He'd be right around your age by now."

Jay's breath caught in his throat, and he struggled to force himself to speak.

"No," he said very quietly. "I don't know him."

Lydia deflated with disappointment. "Oh." When she noticed Jay's crestfallen expression, she nudged him with her arm. "Hey, it's okay! Waiting a little longer isn't going to kill me. Obviously," she said, chuckling at her own joke.

Jay cracked a smile at that but didn't reply, turning away slightly so he could look at anything but her.

* * *

 **:O! Another dead mother of a main character?! I'm sorry, I couldn't resist after they gave us the little glimpse of her in Hands of Time XD**

 **Also, we're using cartoon logic to jump onto a moving train because it's awesome XD**


	4. Something More Important

**Hey, it's technically Saturday where I am! Wanted to go ahead and get this out before homework consumed my weekend :/**

 **Special thanks to RobinLost, Crystal Cea, ABCSKW123-IX, tashared12, RandomDragon2.0, iNeedCoffiee, Peanut2196, Drawkill Vear, DraconisWinters, QueenoftheJordan, Star, Echo15, IAmFangirlingNow, Rina Hawaki, PrairieSkies, Breeze015, TheYellowNinja, SweetHeart114, and IDontHaveAName for reviewing! You guys are amazing! :D**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **QueenoftheJordan: Haha, we'll see! ;D Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Star: Jay, you self-conscious idiot XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Echo15: For ninja, they are not very graceful XD Jay certainly needs some sense knocked into him -_-; Aw, your compliments are so, so, SO nice! You made my whole day! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **IAmFangirlingNow: Haha, you are so nice! I'm glad you liked the green streak idea! I thought it was an interesting concept :D Yay, ninja moms! XD I am SOOOO happy you thought Jay's reaction was in character! That is one of my biggest concerns! Thank you so much for your review!**

 **TheYellowNinja: Haha, it makes me so happy to know I broke your heart XD Jay certainly needs a confidence boost, but we'll see... ;D We'll see Gem this chapter! ;D Aw, thank you so much! A story is nothing if it can't convey emotion! Your reviews make me soooo happy! You'll never know how much I appreciate them!**

 **IDontHaveAName: You know you're a fan when you compare reality to fiction rather than vice versa XD XD XD Aw, your review was so nice! Thank you so much for understanding about school (it's been really hard on me this semester :/) but PLEASE don't let that stop you from leaving a review! Honestly, this story and the reviews I get are really helping through this hard time I'm having (even if that makes me sound pathetic XD) I love replying to reviews! It doesn't take up too much time, so please no worries there! I'm so happy you like the subplots! I like to try to touch on everyone's character development a little bit, so I'm glad they keep you interested! :D I can totally see Jay going Darth Vader though XD Thank you so much for reviewing!**

* * *

When the train finally grinded to a halt, they ambled out of it into an urban wasteland: it was all concrete and rundown buildings and broken windows and abandoned streets.

"I think we left it over here…," Lydia murmured to herself, walking toward what seemed to be a dilapidated auto repair shop with a garage door.

"Hey," Kai whispered at the back of the group so only Jay and Cole could hear him. "Am I the only one who thinks Lydia is kind of hot?"

Cole grinned. "Definitely not, bro. She's at least an eight. Maybe a nine."

"No!" Jay snapped, making both Cole and Kai recoil with the severity of the claim. "That's disgusting, guys!"

His brothers shared a look. "I know you like Nya and everything, Jay, but Lydia's not _that_ bad," Kai argued, mildly shocked by Jay's outburst.

"And, don't think we didn't notice you cozying up to her in the train," Cole pointed out.

Jay swallowed, cursing himself for reacting that way when Cole and Kai couldn't possibly know why thinking of Lydia in a romantic way was utterly repulsive to him. "I mean… it's disgusting how you… objectify women like that. _Rating_ them. I actually care about their intellect, not just their looks."

Kai rolled his eyes. "Geez, sorry I asked."

But, Jay noticed Cole still looking at him suspiciously and quickly hurried ahead before he could be questioned further.

Finally arriving at the garage, Lydia approached a keypad and entered a code. The garage door immediately started opening and inside was…

A minivan.

"Oh, c'mon!" Kai groaned. "What is it with the Departed Realm and lame vehicles?" He complained, referring to the school bus that had been stolen by Morro and so unceremoniously destroyed by the scorpion monster.

"It's all we could find that would fit all six of you," Lydia explained apologetically, already climbing into the driver's seat.

After a very intense series of games of Rock, Paper, Clamp, Nya victoriously claimed the passenger seat, Jay and Lloyd won the two middle seats, and Kai and Zane received the two window seats in the back with Cole in dead last between them.

"We've still got a ways to go," Lydia informed them as she guided the minivan out of the garage. "To make sure we're not followed, I've got to take a pretty roundabout way to get to the camp. Count on another hour or so."

After a sufficient amount of time had passed, Zane watched the scenery outside the window change as they passed out of the urban wasteland and into a rather peaceful prairie. He recalled from their last trek into the Departed Realm that the different environments were defined by completely illogical and rather impossible straight line boundaries: asphalt became grass instantly. When they were not under such dire circumstances, Zane thought it would be interesting to study the Departed Realm in more depth.

He supposed his father was probably doing so right at this very second. That or inventing. He wondered where Dr. Julien was at this very moment...

Zane was wrenched out of his musings when he felt a weight drop onto his shoulder. Looking down, he was surprised to see that Cole had fallen asleep, his head resting on the nindroid's shoulder.

Behind Cole, Zane could see Kai blinking at the sight, mirroring the nindroid's surprise.

"Did he seriously just fall asleep? Like _right now_?" He whispered, not wanting to wake his brother despite the peculiar timing of his slumber.

Zane frowned, studying Cole's face as best as he could at the odd angle. "Considering ghosts do not have to sleep in the first place, I find it rather concerning that Cole would fall asleep at such an inopportune time."

Kai scratched his head. "I mean, maybe he's just tired? We had kind of an exhausting morning." The red ninja shrugged, leaning back against his seat. "He'll be fine after he gets some sleep."

Zane hummed uncertainly, shifting his position to try to make Cole as comfortable as possible.

Lydia drove them confidently through grasslands, gently rolling hills and sparsely wooded areas, taking so many twisting turns and backtracking so many different times that even Zane couldn't keep track of their route. Eventually, though, she pulled up to a true forest, more populated with trees than the small groves they had passed through. She managed to park the minivan just inside the treeline so as to not be immediately visible to passersby, but all of them could see that travelling any further than that would be impossible.

"Okay, the rest of the way is on foot," Lydia sighed in exasperation. "Almost there!"

"Cole," Zane said softly, nudging the black ninja gently. "It's time to wake up."

Cole snorted, picking his head up off of Zane's shoulder slightly.. "Huh…?" He mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "Wait… I fell asleep?"

"Yep," Kai replied from Cole's left. "All of a sudden, too."

Cole furrowed his brow. "Weird…," is all he offered, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Are you feeling alright, brother?" Zane asked, studying Cole carefully.

Cole nodded immediately, hopping out of the minivan. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

The sun was quickly making its downward descent as Lydia led them through an equally as disorienting if short hike through the maze of trees, and _finally_ they arrived at the Lost Soul encampment.

All six ninja couldn't help but balk. Dozens, maybe of hundreds of tents of various sizes and colors were packed into the rather large clearing in the woods. Ghosts of all ages, genders, colors drifted about, working or playing or talking to one another. They could smell food cooking, and someone was playing guitar in the distance, the subsequent applause indicating that the musician had at least a small audience. It had the feel of a small community all of its own, and they had to admit… it seemed rather peaceful. Quaint, in a way, a word they never thought they'd associate with Morro.

"You're telling me that Morro built all this?" Nya asked Lydia, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"Yeah, of course!" Lydia responded cheerfully, picking her way down a narrow path between tents. "He's in charge of the whole thing."

"So, he's like a dictator?" Lloyd couldn't help but ask, unwanted thoughts pointing out to him that this place was dangerously close to a military base and these people were dangerously close to an army- or worse, a cult.

"Well, that's kind of an ugly word," Lydia said disapprovingly. "I mean, if you mean he makes all the decisions and stuff, sure. But, he's not cruel or anything. If you need proof, just look around. All his Lost Souls are passing up the chance to become human again because they trust him and don't want the bad guys to get their hands on him."

Lloyd pondered this and opened his mouth to speak- when two young boys suddenly dashed into his path, forcing him to skid to a halt.

"Ha, I told you it was really him!" The slightly bigger one bragged even as he continued to stare up at Lloyd in awe.

"Wow…," the smaller one whispered, ogling the legendary green gi. "Mr. Lloyd, I used to be you all the time when we played Ninja!"

"Wow, that's a huge honor!" Lloyd complimented, smiling fondly down at the two young fans, though it also saddened him slightly that they died at such a young age. "And, who do you play now?"

"I got to be Morro last time we played."

Lloyd's smile dimmed only slightly. "Oh."

The child ghost seemed to pick up on his disappointment and scrambled to continue. "I mean, not that you're not awesome! It's just that in our games, Morro always wins and I was tired of losing."

Lloyd blinked and struggled to keep a smile on his face, though it was incredibly harder hearing his team snickering at his expense behind him. "Oh… well, Morro's a good choice too."

"Alright you two, go on now," Lydia told the children kindly, shooing them away. "We've got business to take care of!"

"Bye, Mr. Lloyd!" The boy called, waving as he and his friend scampered off.

Lloyd let his smile drop as soon as the kids were out of sight and the other ninja released the laughter they were so valiantly trying to contain.

"Oh, ha ha, laugh it up," Lloyd grumbled, crossing his arms. "At least one of them actually _plays_ me. I didn't hear either of them wanting to be any of _you_."

 _That_ shut them up.

The other ghosts watched them as they passed through the camp, some captivated, some wary, some outright distrustful, but no one else approached them. Lydia led them to what was approximately the center of the camp. She poked her head into the largest tent they had seen as of yet, then gestured for them to follow her inside.

"Mom!" Cole shouted as soon as he stepped into the slightly dimmer interior of the tent, spotting Corrine who was standing up to greet her son. He immediately rushed over to her and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, which she reciprocated as best as she could, laughing with the joy of holding her child in her arms again.

Jay, where he would have been happy for Cole before, felt suddenly sad upon witnessing the display of affection. Glancing at Lydia, he saw her staring at the pair with a similar mix of emotions: touched but also… jealous?

"Ugh, _finally_!"

The other five unoccupied ninja turned to see Gem glaring at them in all her three and a half foot glory, tapping her foot impatiently. "Morro is in _danger_ , and you just took your sweet time getting here, didn't you?"

Nya rolled her eyes. She thought it was safe to say that no one had missed the former slave mistress. "We came as quick as we could, Gem."

"I missed you so much," Corrine said to Cole as they finally parted from their embrace. "But, I told you not to come."

"What about Morro, Mom?" Cole asked gently, not wanting to quarrel with his mother so soon after reuniting. "Besides, this whole thing seems really serious. I mean, _civil war_? The bad guys becoming human again? Sounds like a job for ninja if you ask me."

"That's true, but it may not be quite as serious as we thought…," she claimed, pulling a neatly folded piece of paper out of her pocket. "We just got this message this morning."

Cocking his head in confusion, Cole unfolded the note and held it so his five teammates could crowd around him and read it over his shoulder. The writing was haphazard and barely legible in places, as if whoever wrote it was in a hurry.

 _Plan was worse than I expected. Took Yin Blade - makes ghost become human on night of Yin Yang Eclipse - seven days from now. Have to hide blade until then but will come back after. Stay hidden, bad guys can't know where you are. (Message delivered by someone who owes me = not traced.) Don't try to summon me - Vengestone._

 _Gem, sorry I broke my promise._

 _-M_

Once everyone had finished reading and absorbing the information, Kai glanced over the page at Corrine. "And, this is not as serious as we thought because…?"

"No, this is great news!" Nya insisted, pointing at a line on the paper. "They can only use it to become human again on the night of the Yin Yang Eclipse. After it passes, there's nothing they can do!"

"So, we only have to keep the Yin Blade safe for one week," Lloyd finished thoughtfully, tapping his chin.

"Wait, seven days…," Jay gasped. "That's Day of the Departed! I totally forgot about it!"

"I have a question," Zane announced, glancing between Lydia and Corrine as if not sure who would be able to answer said question. "We travelled here to save Morro and prevent our enemies from regaining their mortality, but if Morro is nowhere to be found, he is not in need of saving and the Yin Blade is sufficiently protected."

"How dare you!" Gem shouted, rushing up to Zane and kicking him in the shin- then immediately grabbing her foot as it throbbed in pain. The nindroid blinked down at her, not hurt in the slightest by her "assault." "Morro did all of this for you and you don't even care! You have to-"

"Gem," Corrine said sharply. The little ghost pouted at the reprimand but obediently stopped talking.

"Morro _is_ safe- for now," Lydia explained. "But, like I said, basically everyone in the Departed Realm is looking for him; it's only a matter of time before someone catches him and the Yin Blade." She hesitated, glancing at Corrine. "There's also one huge problem."

Corrine sighed, as if resigning herself to the fact that they were in fact in need of the ninja's assistance, as much as she didn't want to place her son in danger. "The Bone Keeper."

The six ninja grimaced at the memory of the ghost who had so cruelly peered into their minds and uncovered their deepest darkest secrets.

A ghost that also knew where every soul in the Departed Realm was at any given moment. Including Morro.

"We've met," Lloyd said curtly.

"The bad guys have avoided calling on his help until now, because the Bone Keeper is _not_ someone you want to be indebted to," Corrine explained. "But, they're getting desperate. Sooner or later, they'll go to him, and then Morro's _really_ in trouble."

"Why hasn't he already told them?" Jay asked. "I mean, doesn't he want to become human?"

"The Bone Keeper is a businessman," Lydia replied, bitterness staining her tone and surprising everyone present. "Nothing's free in the Departed Realm. He'll give them the information when they pay for it and not a moment before."

"Okay then, that's all we have to do!" Kai pointed out. "We get to the Bone Keeper first, get him to tell us where Morro is, then go find Morro and protect the Yin Blade. Simple."

"No!" Gem shouted, tugging on Kai's gi insistently. "Someone will have caught Morro by then! And what if Morro is on the other side of the world as the Bone Keeper? You'll never make it in time!"

"We don't have any idea where Morro is anyway," Kai argued, grabbing Gem's wrist and plucking her hand off his gi. "We can't just go on a wild goose chase."

"No, she does have a point," Lloyd mused. Gem stuck her tongue out at Kai, who made a face back at her. "The bad guys have the numbers. If we end up finding out where Morro is around the same time, they'll get there first no matter what."

The Green Ninja looked at each of his team members in turn. "We're going to have to split up."

"What?! No!" Jay protested, waving his arms back and forth. "Something bad always happens when we split up!"

"We'll go in teams," Lloyd offered, trying to placate the blue ninja. "Jay, you, Cole, and Zane will go to the Bone Keeper and try to figure out where Morro is. Kai, Nya, and I will follow his trail as best we can. Once you know his location, Zane will send his falcon to let us know, we'll meet up with Morro, and you guys follow as soon as you can."

Jay frowned. "But-"

Gem rushed forward, pushing on Jay's legs as hard as she could. The blue ninja didn't budge an inch. "What are you waiting for?! Go save Morro!"

"Gem, they can't go now," Corrine explained, tone exasperated. "It's already late. By the time everything's ready it will be night. They'll leave first thing in the morning."

Gem gasped in horror. " _Tomorrow_?!"

"Yes, tomorrow," Corrine replied steadfastly. Cole smirked, remembering himself being in Gem's place and hearing his mother use that same exact tone on numerous occasions. Then unbidden sadness welled up within him, because that time in his life had been unfairly cut short.

"But, hey, you guys must be starving! Dinner should be ready any second now," Lydia added, ushering them out of the tent.

The ninja filed out, curious if wary of whatever culinary masterpieces the Departed Realm had to offer, except for Cole who hung back a little. Gem stomped out next, broadcasting to everyone her discontent with the current situation. Cole stopped his mother before she could leave, and they were the only two people in the tent.

"What is it, baby?" Corrine asked softly.

Cole smiled faintly. "That thing that Morro wrote in the letter. ' _Don't try to summon me- Vengestone._ ' What did he mean by that?"

"If a ghost is trapped in Vengestone, it's impossible to summon them," Corrine explained. "To safeguard against being summoned and trapped, Morro put some on himself."

Cole blinked, shocked. "He put Vengestone on _himself_? What about his powers?"

"He can't use them unless he takes it off. But, he won't need to if they can't find him."

Cole pondered this, thinking. "Would you guys… happen to have any?"

Corrine frowned. "Are you worried about getting summoned?"

Cole nodded, swallowing.

Corrine grabbed his hand and squeezed. "Sure, baby, we have some." She tilted her head back, scrutinizing her son carefully. "But, is that all that's bothering you?"

"Yeah," Cole replied a little too quickly, pulling her toward the entrance of the tent. "Just hungry is all."

* * *

"Hey, it's kind of pretty," Jay offered, referring to the black band of Vengestone Cole had placed around his wrist and was holding up to study. Usually used to entrap ghosts or elemental masters in the form of handcuffs, this resembled more of a bracelet.

The ninja were gathered on a picnic blanket by the campfire, listening to a few ghosts sing a song while they ate something that was probably meat but had a very chewy quality to it that they found it better not to question. The sun had set, and all the Lost Souls' ghostly bodies also indulging in the luxury of food were illuminated only by the moonlight and the fire in the center of the camp.

"No, it's not. It's ugly," Gem countered from where she was sulking nearby.

Cole rolled his eyes. "I don't care about fashion. No one can summon me as long as I'm wearing it. But, I also can't use my elemental or ghost powers, which means no super strength, no possessing things, no… phasing through stuff…," he trailed off, clenching his fist as if to test the solidity of it.

"You can always take it off in the event of an emergency," Lloyd pointed out, stabbing the 'meat' with a fork and cringing at the sponginess of it. "But, this was a great idea, Cole! I didn't even think about the Summoning Spell."

"Morro thought of it first," Gem snapped.

Nya groaned, rounding on the child ghost. "Ugh, what is your _problem_? You've been a brat from the moment we got here, and I haven't heard one word of gratitude from you."

Gem glared, puffing her cheeks out in her characteristic expression of anger. "My problem is that Morro broke his promise and _left_ me and now you guys won't even go bring him back!"

"Morro breaking his promise?" Nya repeated incredulously. "That's really your biggest concern right now?"

"He said he'd be back in three days, and now he's gone off on some _stupid_ mission that's going to get him hurt and left me here all bored and alone," Gem explained, crossing her arms.

Nya balked. "You do realize that Morro's actually doing something _important_ right now, right? Or, did it never occur to you that there was something more important than you in the world?"

"Nya, Gem, perhaps we should…," Zane tried to intervene, noticing how heated the argument was quickly becoming.

" _Nothing_ is more important to Morro than me," Gem growled, taking no heed of Zane's warning.

"And, what's most important to you? Morro? Or yourself?" Nya challenged, already knowing the answer.

Gem faltered but eventually said more quietly, "Morro."

"Really? Because love is about _sacrifice_ , Gem, and I don't think you would sacrifice anything for anyone." Nya said matter-of-factly. "Even Morro."

Gem was trembling with anger as she scrambled to her feet. "You big meanie! You don't know anything about me! You don't know anything!" And with that, she stomped off, shooting death glares at anyone who was unfortunate enough to be in her line of sight.

"Perhaps you were a little harsh, Nya," Zane berated gently. "She is only a child after all."

Nya sighed in shame. "I guess I did kind of fly off the handle. She was just getting on my nerves so bad with all her _whining_ …"

"No way, I'm with you, sis," Kai came to his sister's defense. "She's like a hundred years old or something so her being a kid is no excuse. Gem's still the same little brat we met in that castle, and it's time someone told her that."

"I thought Morro was going to reform her," Jay said, staring after the little ghost thoughtfully.

"He just spoiled her more," Lloyd concluded, finally giving up on trying to eat the mystery meat and setting his plate down. "Maybe he just wanted Gem's blind loyalty in case he ever needs to use her mind control abilities."

"It appears to me that Gem truly cares about Morro's wellbeing," Zane opined. "She was the one to summon Cole out of concern for him after all."

Jay scratched his head. "I don't know, we haven't seen them together since we left last time, so it's hard to tell. Cole, what do you think?"

Upon hearing no response, the other five ninja turned to see Cole staring into the fire with a wistful expression, eyes glazed over. Raising an eyebrow at his other teammates, Jay poked Cole in the back- which immediately caused the black ninja to jump about a foot in the air and turn toward the center of the group.

"Huh?" Cole asked.

Jay narrowed his eyes, studying his best friend suspiciously. "I asked what you thought of Nya and Gem's argument."

Cole stared back at Jay uncomprehendingly. "Nya and Gem had an argument?"

The other five ninja shared mildly alarmed glances. "Um, _yeah_ , like just now," Kai replied. "You didn't hear Gem yelling?"

Cole blinked, dropping his gaze to his hands in wonder. "Oh, I guess not. In my own little world," he shrugged, pushing himself to his feet. "I'm going to hit the hay for tonight. Night, guys."

He waved as he left to find his mom to figure out the sleeping arrangements. The other ninja stared after him with nothing short of bewilderment.

"He's been doing that a lot lately," Nya observed, anxiety bleeding into her tone. "Spacing out. You think he's alright?"

"Cole has also been sleeping much more than usual," Zane offered. "I do not know if this is cause for concern, though."

"I think it's definitely cause for concern!" Jay whisper-yelled. "I mean, _sleeping_? For a _long_ time? Sound familiar to anybody else?!"

"Jay, he's not going to go into the long sleep," Kai argued, rolling his eyes. "He has his whole soul and all his memories."

"You two just keep an eye on him, alright?" Lloyd mediated, leaning back on his palms. He sighed, "I hate not being there for him, but we have to split up. Just… watch out for him. Especially around the Bone Keeper."

Jay seemed unsatisfied but smiled slightly at Zane when the nindroid put a hand on his shoulder. "We will."

* * *

 **Hm, so what _is_ up with Cole? And, with half the ninja off to the Bone Keeper's and the other half trying to track down Morro with old fashioned detective work, what could possibly go wrong? XD**


	5. Spit It Out Already

**I know I'm a *tad* early for the Wednesday update, but i really wanted to update and who knows if I'll get the chance tomorrow *eyeroll***

 **Anyway, special thanks to RobinLost, Sweetheart114, Crystal Cea, IDontHaveAName, Star, RandomDragon2.0, ABCSKW123-IX, MagicWords22, Peanut2196, Breeze015, xxXTheySayI'mEvilXxx, PrairieSkies, and TheYellowNinja for reviewing! You guys mean the world to me! :D**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **IDontHaveAName: Yay, I'm so glad you liked their names! i agonized over what to name them for a while, so it's huge relief to know you think they fit! :D I thought Jay freaking out over the others calling his mom hot would be pretty humorous XD Haha, I'm glad you like Gem! (That's more than can be said for the ninja :/) We'll see about Morro... Thank you so much! :D (I have to say, I was pretty blown away by Episode 84 and Season 8 in general! I was like: :O! OH MY GOODNESS!)**

 **Star: We'll see about Cole and Gem eventually! ;D Thank you so much!**

 **TheYellowNinja: No worries, have fun traveling! I hope you like the chapters that will be waiting for you when you get back! ;D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

 _Lloyd fought._

 _He fought with everything he had, never stopping, never resting. Morro had counted on him to give up after a while, to be tucked away as a small, silent presence in the corner of his mind. Lloyd was trapped but he was not quiet, and finally,_ finally _he could feel Morro's irritation._

 _Morro groaned aloud, grabbing his head. "Do you ever_ shut up _?"_

 _Bansha started, turning to stare. "Are… you alright, Morro?"_

 _Morro rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, the kid's just giving me a headache. Gimme a second, will you?"_

 _The enemy in Lloyd's body turned and disappeared below deck, stepping into the small washroom. Morro shut the door firmly behind him and turned to the mirror. Lloyd hated what he saw. It was his body, but the skin was too pale, the hair was black as crow's feathers, and the eyes looking back at him from the reflection were certainly too cruel to belong to him._

" _Alright, Lloyd," Morro sneered at the reflection. They could speak to each other in their mind, but Morro thought the spoken word would carry more weight. "It's time you got it through your head. I_ own _you whether you like it or not, and it'll be a lot easier on the both of us if you would shut your mouth every once in a while."_

You don't own me _, Lloyd argued mentally. It was laughable to think that Morro would grant him control for even a moment to have a face to face conversation._ It's my body, and when my team catches you, they'll-

" _Blah, blah, blah, you'll stop me, foil my plan, make me rue the day I ever crawled out of the Cursed Realm, blah, blah, blah," Morro smirked at the mirror, placing his hands on his hips. "I've heard it all before, Lloyd. But, it's not going to happen, is it? I'm too powerful, and your team is a bunch of bumbling idiots without their leader."_

 _Lloyd hesitated. The ghost was impossibly frustrating. Any time Lloyd could bug him enough to actually get Morro to acknowledge his presence, all the stuff he wanted to yell at the ghost suddenly flew out of his mind._

 _Finally he settled on_ , Why are you doing this?

 _Morro laughed. "Why? Because I'm the bad guy, and I like getting what I want."_

 _It wasn't a serious response and Lloyd hadn't expected one, but it gave him an idea for his next comeback._ But, you'll never get what you really want. You'll never be the Green Ninja.

 _Lloyd felt a sudden flash of anger from Morro, and he was ecstatic to realize he_ finally _ruffled the ghost's feathers._

 _Morro slammed his fist on the edge of the sink basin. "I_ am _the Green Ninja," he snarled at the reflection. "What, you think you deserve this?" He continued, gesturing at the green gi. "You didn't lift a_ finger _, and you got it handed to you. I worked day in and day out for_ years _and what did I get?_ Nothing _._

" _So, I'm going to prove it to Master Wu, the whole world, and_ especially _to you, Lloyd, that I_ am _the true Green Ninja, and there isn't a single thing you can do about it."_

 _And with that, Lloyd felt himself being pushed down even further than before, felt himself drowning in all of Morro's hatred and anger and resentment all at once, felt himself lose his own body in the whirling currents of all that_ hate _-_

Lloyd yelped as he was catapulted out of his dream- _memory_. He held his head in his hands and tried to gasp for breath, tried to reconcile himself with the fact that he _wasn't_ drowning, that Morro wasn't inside him, that his body was his and his alone. Glancing about the small, guest tent the six of them had piled into the night before, Lloyd saw he was alone. He hastily pushed himself to his feet, not wanting to be alone in the shadowy space for any longer than he had to.

He blinked as his eyes were assaulted by the early morning sunlight. When his vision focused, he saw Kai heading toward him.

"Hey, I was just coming to wake you up," the red ninja said by way of greeting.

"Why didn't you wake me up before?" Lloyd asked, his tone edging on critical.

"Well, the cars weren't ready yet and you were pretty out of it…," Kai explained, shrugging. "But, we can leave as soon as you say so now."

Lloyd pressed his mouth into a line but started heading in the direction Kai had come from regardless. "Good. Let's go."

* * *

Corrine, Gem, and Lydia had accompanied them to the tree line to show the ninja their new vehicles and to see them off.

"I've highlighted the path to the Bone Keeper's," Lydia explained as they traipsed through the forest path, handing Zane a map. "You can make it by tonight if you don't take too many stops." Turning to Nya, she held out a map with different markings on it. "On this one, I've marked the last place that Morro was seen. It was two nights ago, probably when he was sending the note we got yesterday morning, but considering how many ghosts owe Morro favors, he could be anywhere by now with his resources."

"Thanks," Nya said, accepting the map. "It's a start at least."

"There are also these," Corrine said, and the ninja started upon seeing her hold up two Dark Daggers, their ghostly green blades glinting menacingly in the little sunlight able to penetrate the canopy of the forest. "We only have two- Morro took the other one- so be careful with them. Remember, they only hurt ghosts temporarily, but they do hurt them. And, if you really have to, you can use them to take someone's Soul Stone."

Carefully, she held the blades handle out to Cole and then Lloyd. Cole grimaced upon taking a hold of the Dark Dagger- quite possibly the same Dark Dagger he had used to slice himself open and give Gem his Soul Stone- and handed it to Jay instead. The blue ninja glanced at his best friend in concern but took the knife anyway.

"And, now…," Lydia came to a stop and threw her arms up as if presenting something. "Your brand new _cars_!"

They looked up- and Kai groaned.

"Oh, _come on_."

An RV. A tan, big, bulky, _ugly_ , very uncool RV.

" _This_ is what we're supposed to take to search for Morro?" Kai asked, planting his fists on his hips disbelievingly.

"As the losing side, we don't have a ton of choices," Lydia explained sheepishly. "Besides, you guys need a base of operations where you can keep all your clues and notes and stuff! Plus, you can sleep in it so you don't have to worry about finding a place to stay! It's perfect!"

"Where is our vehicle?" Zane asked politely.

"It's behind the RV."

The ninja sidled past the Brown Eyesore (as Kai was thinking of naming it) and saw-

"No _waaaay_!" Jay squealed, sprinting over to lay his hands on the car. It was classic convertible in mint condition with impeccable leather seats and what looked to be a fresh coat of light blue paint. "These things go for hundreds of thousands of dollars at auctions! My dad would _kill_ for one of these babies!"

Kai looked took a deep breath through his nose. "Really?!"

Lloyd laughed at Kai's frustration before turning back to his team. "Alright, ninja. Everyone ready?"

Cole wrapped his mother in his bone-breaking embrace once again. "We'll be back soon."

"Just…," Corrine sighed into his shoulder as she locked her arms around his waist. "Just stay safe, alright?"

Feeling suddenly empowered by the mother-son scene and suddenly scared by what was feeling very much like a goodbye scene, Jay impulsively hugged Lydia, afraid he would never get the chance to do so again.

"Oh! Um," Lydia hesitantly patted Jay's back. "Goodbye, Jay."

Jay pulled away, blushing self-consciously and immediately regretting his decision. "Bye."

"Gem?" Nya addressed the little girl ghost who had her arms crossed and was pretending like Nya didn't exist. "I'm sorry that everything got so out of hand last night."

The former slave mistress appraised Nya. "So, you take it back?"

"Take it back?"

"Do you take back what you said about me being selfish and not caring about Morro enough?"

Nya recoiled, shaking her head. "No, I meant what I said. I was just apologizing for yelling at you."

Gem glared and harrumphed, turning on her heel so her back was to Nya.

The water ninja sighed and rolled her eyes before rejoining her brother and the Green Ninja.

"Remember, the second you know Morro's location, send your falcon, Zane," Lloyd reminded the other half of his team. "And… be careful, alright?"

"And, to you as well," Zane reciprocated, smiling.

The six ninja hesitated, reluctant to let their other siblings out of their sight, but eventually they turned away and went to their respective vehicles. There wasn't much else they could say to each other by way of goodbye: the "don't dies" were implied, the "good lucks" were useless since they never seemed to have good luck either way, the "I love yous" went without saying.

The "see you soons" were always there. They hadn't been wrong yet, and they weren't going to start now.

Cole waved to his mother from the back seat of the convertible as Jay put the car in drive, gushing about the "purr of the engine," and watched her get smaller and smaller until she disappeared from view altogether.

* * *

"Okay, it looks like the last place there was a confirmed sighting of Morro was in some coastal village at a… souvenir shop?" Nya read, looking up from the map with an intrigued expression on her face. "Do ghosts need souvenirs? I mean, it's not like they're going anywhere."

"I guess, it's another one of those things that makes them feel alive," Kai offered from the driver's seat. Normally, this would have been a red flag, but considering they were in a flat prairie with nothing to crash into for miles (and that Kai had put on his rarely used puppy dog eyes) they had let him drive "just this once!" "At least _this_ thing will make us blend in as tourists." He continued, slapping the dashboard of the RV.

"True," Nya agreed from where she was sitting in the breakfast nook area of the vehicle. There were three bunks near the back with a few blankets haphazardly thrown into them, some shelves, a mini fridge and cupboard, and a window seat across from the nook area where Lloyd was currently lounging, watching the scenery pass by with an expression of consternation.

"Lydia wrote here in the margin that Morro knew the owner of the shop personally, so it stands to reason that he owed Morro _and_ that Morro called in that favor to have that message delivered." Nya briefed. Glancing over the map at their leader, she asked, "So, what, Lloyd, we go and see if we can gather any clues as to where Morro went next?"

Lloyd huffed suddenly in frustration and stood, pacing in the aisle of the RV. "I can't stop thinking about it."

"Thinking about what?" Kai asked, glancing at his little brother in the rearview mirror.

"In TV shows and movies and _especially_ in comic books, when the villain helps the hero overcome some other threat, what is always the villain's excuse?" Lloyd asked rhetorically, not waiting for the answer. "'If anyone's going to take over the world, it's going to be me,' right?"

"I… guess…?" Nya replied, arching an eyebrow in confusion. "What does this have to do with our current situation?"

"I'm saying…," Lloyd paused, as if not sure he wanted to continue. "I'm saying, what if Morro didn't take the Yin Blade to stop the other bad guys from becoming human again?" He glanced warily at his siblings, trying to gauge their reactions. "What if he took it to use it on himself?"

There was a moment of silence as Kai and Nya let that sink in.

"But, Morro's not the villain," Nya pointed out. "He's good now. You said it yourself he changed."

"I know, I know, and I'm not saying that everything he did when we were here last time doesn't mean anything, but…," Lloyd bit his lip, thinking. "Okay, say you're Morro. You're bad, you've summoned the Preeminent, you think you've just defeated the Green Ninja, you're on top of the world… And, then suddenly you wake up in the Departed Realm, defeated, lost, utterly and completely alone with no idea what to do next."

"Okay…," Nya agreed thoughtfully.

"You think, well, being bad didn't work out so well, so maybe I'll change. Maybe I'll be good now. And, you do feel true remorse and you really try to be good and then we come and you get to right all your wrongs and get a family and everything's great, right? You're on top of the world again, right?"

"Lloyd, can we get to the point?"

"My point is that we have no idea what the Yin Blade is truly capable of. I mean, if it can _bring ghosts back to life_ , it has, like, incredible power. And, it's just been dropped into Morro's lap." Lloyd sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Morro only wanted to be good when he had _nothing_. Now, he's got followers, a way to get back to Ninjago, and a weapon of unimaginable power. After being bad for all that time, wouldn't you be tempted?"

Kai tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. "He makes a good point."

Nya hummed, resting her chin on her hand. "I don't know, Lloyd… Are you sure you aren't… letting your emotions get the better of you?" She suggested gently.

"It doesn't have anything to do with that," Lloyd said quickly, immediately on the defense. "It's just… Morro is a good actor and is… _really_ good at manipulating people. When we find him, I want us to be on our guard is all."

Nya smiled, trying to put Lloyd at ease. "Of course we will be. And… we're one hundred percent behind you, Lloyd."

"Always," Kai added.

Lloyd smiled gratefully at the two of them before sitting on the edge of the window seat once again, watching the grassy plains roll by.

* * *

"Ugh, how long have we been _driving_?" Jay whined from the passenger seat, not quite so excited about the car now that they had been trapped inside it for nearly five hours. "Are we _there_ yet?"

"We would have been there sooner, Jay, if it had not been for the three rest stops we had to make," Zane explained calmly without taking his eyes off the road. Following the path Lydia had drawn them, they were skirting a swampy region of the Departed Realm that did nothing to marry the forest and desert climates on either side of it.

"Well, _excuse me_ for being the only human in the car with a bladder," Jay countered. "I have needs, okay?"

Cole wasn't listening to the argument.

He was pressing his hand against the window. As hard as he could, knowing that, with the Vengestone cuff on him, he wouldn't accidentally shatter it or phase through it. He pushed his palm flush against the glass, splaying his fingers…

He couldn't feel it.

There was no coolness of the glass, no hard surface beneath his fingers, no resistance, no satisfying pressure against his hand that would just let him know that he was _solid_ …

Just numbness. Like his hand had fallen asleep, even though the absence of blood in his body had pretty much eliminated the possibility of that sensation. He couldn't phase through it, he could _see_ that he couldn't phase through it, but it was like he was touching nothing.

It was like he was nothing.

" _Cole_!"

"Ah!" He yelled, whipping around to see Jay half twisted in his seat to glare at him and Zane watching him in the rearview mirror. "What!?"

"I've only been calling your name for the past minute or so!" Jay dropped his irritated tone for one dripping with worry. "What's gotten into you? You've been acting weird for days now!"

"N-Nothing," Cole responded, quickly removing his hand from the window when he realized he had still been pressing on it. Suddenly, feeling returned to his body- _there was the leather seat beneath him, the slight breeze from the air conditioner, his hands grasping each other in his lap, it was okay, it was okay, he was okay…_ "I haven't been acting weird."

Before Jay could argue this point, Cole stretched and laid down across the back seat. "I'm going to take a nap. Wake me when we get there."

"What's with all the sleeping?" Jay demanded as Cole turned to face the back of the seat. "You shouldn't even have to sleep."

Cole found himself agreeing with Jay: he went to bed feeling tired and woke up feeling even more tired. But at the moment he was exhausted, so all he could offer Jay was a lackadaisical shrug as his eyes fell shut.

Jay huffed when he heard the soft snore emanating from the back seat, turning to face the front. "I'm worried about him, Zane."

"As am I."

"I mean… is it just me, or does this remind you of when he only had half his soul?" Jay asked, wringing his hands. "I know he remembers everything and all, but he's kind of shy-ish or, like, not participating in conversations as much…,"

"Reserved," Zane offered.

"Yeah, that's the word I'm looking for! He has to sleep a lot, which, you know, _duh_. And, he's got this kind of… _scared_ expression all the time. You know what I mean?"

"Yes," Zane said quietly, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "I know exactly what you mean."

"So, what do we do?" Jay asked, glancing nervously at his best friend slumbering in the backseat.

"Considering we had to call on Morro's help to resolve Cole's ghost-related issues last time, I think we can conclude that we do not know the correct course of action," the nindroid asserted. "At the very least, we must wait for Cole to open up to us about how he's feeling before we can even hope to help him."

Jay grunted in dissatisfaction, crossing his arms. "Well, he'd better stop being such a stubborn boulder brain soon and spit it out already."

"Speaking of spitting it out already, I think there is another problem we can address in the meantime."

Jay cocked his head at Zane. "What problem?"

"The fact that you refuse to tell Lydia that you are her biological son."

Jay sputtered, then choked on his own spit, then nearly suffocated, then had to rest his head between his knees for several long moments as he tried to regain his breath, _then_ croaked out, "How did you know?"

"Whenever you prevented us from hearing what Lydia's element was, I cross-referenced against all the other elemental masters. Of the six whose mothers died or whose whereabouts are currently unknown, I compared their genetic makeup with that of Lydia and confirmed that it would have been impossible for Lydia to mother any of them.

"That suggested that there was an error in my previously gathered data. My suspicion only grew when you once again interrupted Lydia who all but said that she left Master Wu's team upon conceiving a child, and again when you went out of your way to speak to her on the train. On that fancy, I compared her genetic makeup with that of yours and received a ninety six percent match. To confirm, I compared your genetic makeup with that of Mr. and Mrs. Walker and determined that they were not your biological parents."

Zane paused, giving Jay the side eye. "But, you already knew that."

Jay sighed, massaging his temples. "Don't say it like that. I just found out a little while ago myself."

"The only thing I cannot figure out is why you would keep this information hidden from her. She obviously does not know herself."

Jay sighed, drumming his fingers against his leg. He glanced once more at the backseat to confirm that Cole was asleep then said, "She died giving birth to me. She doesn't even know my name."

"All the more reason to reveal yourself."

"I was going to, but…," He huffed, rubbing his hands over his face. " _Ugh_ , it's like… she's got this perfect image of her son in mind, and everything that she wants him to be is everything I'm… not."

"Jay, you are an extraordinary person. I refuse to believe Lydia could be disappointed in you."

Jay smiled at the compliment but chewed on the inside of his cheek worriedly. "But, she's been waiting _so long_ for this and when she finds out that it's… just me…," he trailed off.

Zane didn't immediately respond, and Jay let his head fall back against the headrest, staring at the ceiling.

"My father gave me life," Zane announced suddenly, causing Jay to look over. "Created something out of nothing. I was his crowning achievement. And, he loved me no matter how many times I was confused by human customs or struggled to understand concepts that were… intangible, like love." Zane looked at Jay for a moment before turning his eyes back to the road. "You are an inventor. What would you give to finally lay eyes on your masterpiece?"

Jay returned his gaze to the ceiling before closing his eyes. "It's not the same thing."

"Isn't it, though?" Zane sighed. "I think it is a disservice to both of you to keep it a secret, but ultimately it is your decision. I will keep it to myself if you wish."

"Yeah- for now," Jay added quickly. "I just need some more time to think about it."

"Very well."

"Thanks, Zane," Jay patted the nindroid's shoulder. "You're a good brother."

"As are you," Zane replied. "I only wish you valued yourself enough to realize it."

Jay slowly removed his hand, ruminating on this latest piece of advice from the white ninja. There was no radio- something about ghosts messed with the frequency- but Jay had managed to scrounge up an old cassette in the glove box, and this he popped into the cassette player, keeping the volume low enough so as to not wake Cole from his slumber.

* * *

 **So, the teams are well on their ways! But, the questions remain: is Lloyd just being paranoid? Should Jay listen to Zane? And, of course, where is Morro?! Stay tuned... ;D**

 **But, all joking aside, thanks to each and every one of you who has taken the time to read :D**


	6. A Fair Trade

**Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to click on this story! I love you all! :D**

 **I've got a huge project coming up, so I can't guarantee a Wednesday update this week :( I'll try my best to post, but we'll see!**

 **Special thanks to Star, RobinLost, Drawkill Vear, Crystal Cea, RandomDragon2.0, DendriteQuartz, IDontHaveAName, AnAvidFanGirl, Peanut2196, Breeze015, and PrairieSkies for reviewing!**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **Star: Lloyd could use a hug right about now! And, I'm glad you liked Nya's comment XD Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **IDontHaveAName: Yay, I'm so glad you think Lloyd's reasoning is realistic! I thought Zane would figure it out first, because he's a super awesome nindroid and Cole is... distracted at the moment :/ Haha, thank you, but I love constructive criticism! I totally get what you mean about the POV thing. I've definitely noticed that in the past, so please feel free to point it out anytime you see it! I'll try to be more conscientious of it in the future -_-; Yay, I'm so happy you liked Lloyd's flashback! It was actually really fun to write XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **AnAvidFanGirl: Aw, your review was so nice! "Masterpiece?!" You really are too kind! :D (But please don't scare small children on my account XD) Thank you so so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

"Morro has a friend here?" Kai asked as Nya put the RV in park. (Once the village had come into view, Nya and Lloyd had thrown Kai out of the driver's seat so as to avoid total destruction.)

"Not a friend. Someone who owed him. There's a difference," Nya replied as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Hey, these look familiar!" Lloyd commented, walking toward them from the back of the RV with three brown cloaks in hand. "Remember, the bad guys want us almost as badly as they want Morro, so put these on."

The now disguised ninja disembarked from the RV, looking about their surroundings in wonder. Ghosts normally avoided water like the plague, but there was the ocean, gently rolling in the breeze. Granted, there weren't ghosts on the beach itself, but this village was only yards away from the water.

The buildings formed a quaint little community, all white with bright pops of color in the form of banners or signs dotting the storefronts. The most notable decoration was of course the wanted poster of Morro in every window.

And, beside that? A photo of the ninja that had apparently been taken just after they had appeared in the city. Below the picture was the same reward as was listed on Morro's poster: _if captured alive, regain your mortality._

Looking grimly at each other, they entered the souvenir shop.

"Welcome to Sebastian's Souvenirs, how can I-" the burly shopkeeper, who was twice as wide as any one of the ninja, faltered upon seeing the humans enter his store.

The shop itself has shelves and shelves of all the most cliche souvenirs: snow globes, postcards, keychains, t-shirts. A teenage ghost sat in a chair in the corner who was carefully keeping his eyes trained on the large sketch pad in his lap, but the ninja could see him glance shyly at them periodically.

Lloyd raised his hand in greeting, "Hi, we're-"

"Oh, no, no, no," the shopkeeper scrambled out from behind the counter, pushing them toward the door. "Humans in the Departed Realm? You're the ninja, and I don't want anything to do with you."

"Well, these were useless," Kai announced, throwing his hood off of his head as they were shoved toward the door.

Lloyd threw off his hood as well, turning toward the adult ghost. The teenager in the corner was watching the exchange intensely but quickly averted his gaze when Kai caught him staring. "Mr. Sebastian, we're looking for Morro-"

"Isn't everybody?" Sebastian groaned, rolling his eyes. "Look, I'm going to tell you the same thing I told the snake fanatic and the rock guy. Morro _was_ here, and then he left. That's all I know."

"Snake fanatic and rock guy?" Nya repeated incredulously. "You mean, Chen and Kozu were _here_?"

"Yeah, like a few hours ago, and you're lucky I don't call them back right now and turn you in," Sebastian threatened.

The teenage ghost straightened, looking alarmed, but dropped his eyes once again when Kai looked over at him.

Lloyd pleaded, "But, if you could just tell us if he said anything-"

"He didn't say nothing, and you need to leave," Sebastian interrupted, succeeding in finally shoving them out of the store. He shut the door behind them and made a big show of locking the door.

Lloyd sighed. "Great. Now what?"

"Sebastian might not talk to us," Kai led in, nodding at the store window. The teenager was watching them through the glass, then jumped and quickly disappeared from view when Lloyd and Nya looked over. "But, he might."

* * *

Benjy tucked his sketchbook and box of colored pencils under his arm as he exited the shop. "Bye, Seb! I'm going to lunch."

"Don't take too long like last time."

Benjy ducked his head sheepishly as he walked toward the cafe that he always-

He tried to scream as he was grabbed and yanked into the alley but he couldn't for the hand slapped over his mouth.

The red ninja forced him against the wall as the other two crowded him from either side. He clutched his sketchbook to his chest and would have immediately started crying if ghosts were capable of doing so.

"Please don't hurt me!" He tried to beg though he couldn't speak for the hand still over his mouth.

"Hey, calm down," Nya said soothingly, placing a hand on his arm. "We just want to talk."

Benjy looked back and forth between them frantically, trying to decide if their word was worth anything.

"I'm going to move my hand now," Kai said. "You're not going to scream, right?"

Benjy blinked then shook his head.

The red ninja slowly removed his hand and took half a step backward.

"Now, we know you know something about Morro," Lloyd led in, keeping his tone gentle and his hands in full view. "Something you didn't tell Chen and Kozu. Am I wrong?"

Benjy hesitated then slowly shook his head. "Th-they didn't even notice I was there. I didn't want them to. Gh-ghosts like that chew up and spit out ghosts like me."

"We're not like that," Nya reassured. "Can you tell us about Morro?"

Benjy glanced down at his sketchbook. "M-Morro did say something to Seb before he left. About where he was going."

Kai grinned. "Great! What was it?"

Benjy hesitated once again. "I… if I tell you, I n-need something in return."

"Nothing's free in the Departed Realm. How could I forget?" Nya sighed, placing her hand on her head in exasperation. "What do you want?"

"C-Can I draw you?"

Nya started, pleasantly surprised. "Oh! Sure, I don't think that's too-"

"N-Not you," Benjy interrupted shyly. If ghosts could blush, they were pretty sure he would be somewhere between "fire truck" and "surface of the sun." "Him."

Kai blinked when he realized Benjy was pointing at him.

"Me?" He repeated incredulously.

Benjy nodded excitedly. "Your proportions, your features, the way you hold yourself so confidently…," he trailed off when he realized he was rambling, but finished quietly, "You're perfect."

Kai would have been flattered… if he hadn't realized that he was being flirted with- _by a guy_ \- and Nya and Lloyd hadn't been elbowing him and smirking.

"Of course you can draw him!" Nya replied, trying to keep the laughter out of her voice.

Kai held up his hands. "Woah, woah, woah, I never-"

Lloyd grabbed his arm and whispered, "We're not asking you to go on a date with him, Kai. You just have to sit there."

Kai blushed, sputtering. "But-"

"Morro. Remember?"

Kai pouted then groaned, knowing Lloyd was right. To Benjy, " _Fine_. You can draw me."

Benjy gave a million watt smile. "C'mon! I know a place with the _best_ lighting."

"Woah, we can't exactly go in public," Nya held up a hand to stop him before the ghost could rush off.

"Huh? Oh," Benjy said upon remembering the wanted posters. "No, you don't have to worry about that. This village is really peaceful. We don't like trouble. Seb only helped Morro because he owed him a favor, but really all of us just want to stay out of this civil war. No one will turn you in, I promise."

Kai and Nya turned to Lloyd, who shrugged.

* * *

"He came in late, right before we closed- can you turn a little to the left? Thank you- and handed Seb a note." Benjy explained as he furiously sketched in his sketchbook, aided by periodic glances at the red ninja sitting across the table from him.

The four of them were in a small cafe, and though the staff and few other customers had started when they walked in, they quickly went back to their own business. Lloyd, Nya, and Benjy were indulging in a few delectable pastries. Kai complained that he wanted one, but Benjy insisted that he couldn't eat while he was modeling.

"He told Seb he was cashing in his favor and that the note needed to be delivered immediately. Untraced, no interceptions, all that." Benjy continued as he lovingly drew the curve of Kai's shoulders. "Seb didn't want to do it, but he had to."

"And, what did he say about where he was going next?" Lloyd asked.

"He said- don't twitch so much!- well, I don't know how important this is, but he commented that he heard the city was nice this time of year- kind of smirking, like he looks on the posters.

"Seb said he was insane." Benjy switched out his red colored pencil for a brown one. "Because, you know, that's where the bad guys' HQ is, and there's a ton of ghosts there that would turn him in in a heartbeat."

Benjy cocked his head and studied Kai for a moment, then continued his drawing. Kai shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny.

"Then he just said 'exactly,' and walked off," he finished his story as he tried to master all of the crazy angles of Kai's hair. "To me, it sounded like he was going to the last place they would expect him to go, which sounds just crazy enough to be Morro."

"This is great!" Kai announced. "We know exactly where Morro is now!"

"Don't move!" Bench reprimanded, using the harshest tone to date, and Kai obediently reassumed his modeling pose.

"I don't know… something doesn't sit right with me…," Lloyd commented thoughtfully, frowning. "Sure, trying to hide in the headquarters of the enemy definitely sounds like Morro, but you know what doesn't? Leaving a trail for someone to follow- unless he did it on purpose."

"So, you think he lied about going to the city?" Nya asked, taking a bite of her croissant. "To throw them off his scent?"

Lloyd nodded solemnly then turned to Benjy. "What's in the opposite direction of the city?"

"Opposite direction? I guess it would be that volcano…"

Lloyd tapped his chin and nodded righteously. "That's where Morro is."

"How can you be so sure, Lloyd?" Nya asked. "I mean… a _volcano_? Seems a little extreme, even for Morro."

"Trust me, guys. When it comes to strategy, to _winning_ _a war_ , I know Morro. I was there. I know how he thinks." Lloyd insisted. "He sends the bad guys in the opposite direction while really he takes the Yin Blade somewhere where it would be hard to follow. Remember, he's not trying to beat them or anything; he's just trying to play keep away until the eclipse passes."

Kai and Nya shared a look, then Nya nodded for both of them since her brother was trapped. "Okay, Lloyd. We're with you, like we said."

"I'm almost finished," Benjy offered, shading in Kai's face.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Kai asked, and Benjy looked up with wide owl eyes, suddenly bashful.

"You want to ask me something?" Benjy repeated, voice almost a whisper.

Kai cringed but continued regardless. "Why didn't you tell all this to Chen? I mean, surely you would have gotten to become human again if you had."

"Oh," Benjy looked back down at his sketchbook and continued shading. "Well, honestly, I don't really want to become human again."

"You don't?" Nya asked.

"No. My dad beat me, my mom hated me, and I doubt anybody cared when I got hit by a bus. I was never going to amount to anything anyway." He shrugged. "But, _here_. Here, I get to draw all day- I do caricatures at the souvenir shop and Seb lets me sketch whatever I want when there are no customers. I mean, for me, the little stuff like- like finding the perfect model is enough."

He glanced at Lloyd and Nya before ripping the page out of his sketchbook. "Some people just weren't meant to be alive, you know?"

Kai, saddened by Benjy's little spiel, blinked when the ghost held the page out to him. "Huh? You're giving it to me?"

"Well, yeah," Benjy said sheepishly, dropping his eyes. "I just wanted to draw you… Now that I have, I want you to have it."

Kai hesitantly accepted the piece of paper and balked when he saw a mirror image of himself. "Woah! This is incredible!"

He showed Lloyd and Nya who were also shocked by the quality of the work. "You've got real talent!" Nya complimented.

They were pretty sure Benjy was ghost-blushing again, ducking his head. "Thanks…"

"Well, we'd better get going," Lloyd said, standing up, his two other ninja following suit. "Thanks for all your help."

"N-No problem."

Kai held the drawing aloft. "Thanks."

Benjy dissolved into an embarrassed, stuttering mess but managed a nod and a small goodbye wave.

* * *

The sun was sitting low in the sky by the time Jay pulled their car into the parking lot of the Bone Keeper's casino, meaning that business for the night was just getting into full swing.

"Cole," Zane whispered, reaching into the backseat and shaking his still-sleeping brother. "Time to wake up."

Cole didn't stir.

"Cole!" Jay shouted. "Look, free cake!"

The ghost snored in response.

Sharing a look, the two ninja got out of the car. Joining Zane on the passenger side of the car, Jay opened the back door where Cole's feet were. Grabbing both Cole's ankles, Jay pulled with all his might and yanked Cole right off the seat.

"Ow!" Cole shouted as his body thudded against the ground. "What the heck, Jay?!"

"That seemed a tad extreme, Jay," Zane agreed.

"Well, what do you expect? We called you, and you wouldn't wake up and you were… freaking me out," Jay defended uncertainly.

Cole sat up, rubbing the back of his head. He wanted to hold a grudge but seeing how worried Jay was about him, he couldn't stay mad. "It's okay. Sorry, I guess I was more tired than I thought." Looking up, his eyes widened at the sight of the casino. "Woah, we're already here?"

"Yes, and the Bone Keeper awaits us," Zane replied, holding his hand out to help Cole up. Cole accepted it, grateful when his hand didn't go right through his brother's, and Zane pulled him to his feet. "We must all be on our guard. As we know, he is very shrewd."

"Ugh, he gives me the creeps," Jay complained, shuddering as they walked toward the door. "Are we going to have to let him look into our minds again?"

"Perhaps," Zane replied. "It depends on what he wants."

As they approached the huge double doors of the casino, they expected to have to argue with the bouncers and try to negotiate a way inside, as Morro was their ticket in the last time they came. Surprisingly, though, the bouncers moved out of the way as soon as they approached, holding open the doors for them.

"Head right on up," the one on the right told them. "He's been expecting you."

"That… somehow doesn't make me feel better," Cole commented as they obediently passed through the entryway. The casino's patrons sneered at them as they ascended the staircase, calling out insults and making quite a few cat calls, but they supposed being personal guests of the Bone Keeper's offered them some level of protection. For now.

At the Bone Keeper's office door, Jay knocked and then opened the door once they heard the faint, "come in!"

The Bone Keeper looked exactly the same as the last time they had seen him. It was almost like he had been left on pause until they reentered the room. Faint blue glow, pinstriped suit, out-of-place, too wide smile.

"Jay! Zane! Cole! It really has been too long!" He greeted, as if any of them had anything other than contempt for him. He came up to each of them and kissed them on both cheeks. They grimaced but managed to keep themselves from throwing up. "Normally this is the part where I ask you what I can do for you." He chuckled, moving to lean against his desk. "Though, I suppose I already know the answer to that question."

"We need to find Morro," Zane stated anyway. "What do you need from us in order to complete this transaction?"

"Ah, but it's not a transaction, is it?" The Bone Keeper continued smiling, moving around his desk to sit in the huge swivel chair. "It's an auction."

"An auction?" Cole repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, normally I don't like to give information away for free, but I'll tell you that I received a very intriguing call from two prospective buyers." He said, clasping his hands together on the desk in front of him. "A robot and a skeleton, in fact."

Jay gasped, "Cryptor and Samukai!"

"They will be here by tomorrow afternoon," the Bone Keeper continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, "where I will trade them Morro's location for the promise to become human. That is," his eyes flashed dangerously, "unless a better deal were to come along."

"So, what, you want more secrets?" Jay asked tentatively.

"No, no, no," the Bone Keeper replied, shaking his head at Jay as if he were a disappointed tutor. "Secrets were enough for the location of Cole's Soul Stone whenever its retrieval only had a direct effect on the six of you. Morro's Soul Stone on the other hand could change the entire face of the Departed _and_ Mortal Realms. No, I will need something a little more valuable than a secret."

"Just tell us what you want," Zane said quietly but firmly.

"I want…," the Bone Keeper smirked, leaning forward in his chair.

"One of you."

Jay, Cole, and Zane balked, turning to look at each other. "One of _us_?" Jay said incredulously.

"Any one of your Soul Stones, I don't care which," the Bone Keeper confirmed, waving a hand nonchalantly as if he was asking for a five dollar bill rather than a _slave_. "A Soul Stone for a Soul Stone. A fair trade, don't you think?"

"You can't be serious," Cole said, shaking his head.

"Quite."

" _Why_?"

"Well, becoming human is all well and good but to own one of the world famous ninja of the Mortal Realm? An elemental master?" The Bone Keeper cocked his head, smile somehow growing wider. "Yes, I think that is a very fair trade indeed. So, who will it be?"

The three brothers looked helplessly at one another.

"Bone Keeper, there must be something else we can offer you," Zane pleaded. " _Anything_ else."

"No. You have nothing else that I want." The Bone Keeper declined offhandedly. "I suspect Cryptor and Samukai will be here sometime around three o'clock tomorrow. You have until then to decide which one of your souls you will trade. Dismissed."

"But-"

"I said, dismissed."

The office door suddenly opened behind them, and two burly bouncers appeared in the doorway. Realizing that if they did not leave of their own volition, they would be forcibly removed, the three ninja turned and forlornly filed out.

Back outside, the debate began.

"I'll do it," Cole volunteered. "I mean, nothing can be worse than being Gem's slave."

"No, I will give up my Soul Stone," Zane offered. "I would never forgive myself if I abandoned one of you in the clutches of the Bone Keeper."

"What are you guys _talking_ about?" Jay demanded, tone shrill. " _None_ of us are giving up our Soul Stones!"

"What else can we do, Jay?" Cole asked. "I mean, we have to find out where Morro is. The others are counting on us."

"Well, we have to… We can…," The blue ninja sighed. "I don't know. But, we can't do that. That's not an option."

"Come, let's find lodging for the night," Zane said, waving for his brothers to follow him. "We can continue to discuss this later on."

* * *

 **So, the Bone Keeper's being jerky as usual :/ I'd love to hear any guesses as to who's going to give up their Soul Stone! :D**

 **Thank you so much to everyone who's taken the time to read! :D**


	7. Love Never Goes Away

**Sorry I didn't get around to updating on Wednesday! Good news is I finished my project! :D**

 **I was also very pleased to see what a big hit Benjy was with you guys last chapter XD**

 **WARNING! This value contains self-harm that may be a trigger for some people! Please be aware of that before you read!**

 **Special thanks to Crystal Cea, RandomDragon2.0, Star, DendriteQuartz, Sweetheart114, Peanut2196, IDontHaveAName, Plumcicle, ImDed, PrairieSkies, TheySayImEvil, SerpentineKing, YellowNinja, Breeze015, and Gator for reviewing! :D**

 **Star: Both good ideas! We will see ;D Thank you for reviewing! :D**

 **IDontHaveAName: That scene you described would be hilarious and definitely something they would do XD We'll see! ;D Haha, I'm glad you liked Benjy! Sorry about the inaccuracy with the drawing! I know absolutely zero about art or drawing, so I had no idea how long it would take -_-; Hope that didn't ruin it for you! The Bone Keeper certainly has more than money up his sleeve! Sorry he wasn't as creepy as last time; he'll be in it again though, and maybe you'll change your mind then XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D  
**

 **Plumcicle: Good suggestion! We'll find out very soon! ;D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **ImDed: Aw, your review was so sweet! Thank you so much!**

 **TheySayImEvil: No pressure to review! Aw, I'm so glad Benjy's scene gave you feels :3 Jay needs to stop being stupid and listen to Zane XD We'll see about Cole and Morro... But I can't guarantee that they'll be okay XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **SerpentineKing: Aw, thank you! We will get back to the Lydia-Jay situation very soon! (I promise I haven't forgotten XD) Thank you for reviewing!**

 **YellowNinja: Lloyd's still hurting, but hopefully he'll come around :'( Zane is so wise XD I'm glad you had fun on your trip! Unfortunately, Kai doesn't find RVs as cool XD The Bone Keeper is cruel, isn't he? We'll see if your guess is right! ;D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Gator: No, your review wasn't weird at all! Reading it made my day! I love Ninjago, but I totally agree with you about the show not fleshing out the characters enough. Trying to develop the characters we love so much is pretty much the entire goal of my writing, so it makes me SOO happy to hear that you think I succeeded! AND, I'm your favorite writer!? Thank you so so much for this lovely review! :D  
**

* * *

" _Kai, do you want to say goodnight to Nya?"_

 _Kai, arms crossed and legendary pout on his face, turned slightly away from the Time Out Corner where he was imprisoned to see his mother crouched down beside him holding his baby sister. Now, she was always holding Nya, always rocking her and feeding her. And,_ then _! And, then she had given him a time out because_ Nya _had_ _pulled on_ his _hair and just because he smacked her (really lightly!) and she started crying,_ he _was the one that got in trouble!_

" _No! I hate Nya!" He yelled, turning back to the Time Out Corner._

" _Kai!" Kai cringed at the reproachful tone in his mother's voice but didn't turn around. "We never say hate! Families are supposed to love one another."_

" _But, you don't love me!" Kai pointed out, sniffling. "You only love Nya now!"_

 _Suddenly, Kai felt his mom's arms around him, lifting him into her lap and rocking him as he cried like she used to before Nya came along and ruined everything._

" _I am so sorry I made you feel that way, Kai," his mom said softly, running her hand up and down his back. "But, it's not true. I love you just as much as I did before Nya was born. Love is something that you can give to as many people as you want, and it never gets smaller or runs out. That's why love is so powerful."_

 _She pulled away so she could look at Kai properly, and Kai rubbed a hand over his wet cheek, not quite believing her._

" _Here." Taking Kai's tiny wrist, she moved it and placed his hand flat against his own chest, right over his heart. "Do you feel that?"_

 _Kai gasped upon feeling a small thump and nodded rapidly._

" _That's your heart, Kai. So, any time that you feel like I don't love you or you just feel sad, put your hand there. Every time your heart beats, that's me loving you. That's how you know love never goes away."_

"Kai, wake up! We're here!"

Kai's eyes snapped open, and he was mildly horrified to find his face wet with tears. Thankfully, he was on the top bunk where no one would see. He hastily wiped his face on the blanket, then, as he was moving to toss it off of his body altogether, he let his hand drift to his chest, resting it over his heart.

"Hurry up, sleepyhead! Lloyd's already outside!"

"Coming!" He called, hopping off the top bunk and jogging a few steps to catch up with Nya as she stepped out of the RV.

Looking around, Kai gaped as he saw that they were indeed parked at the foot of a volcano- a bubbling, steaming, _active_ volcano, all but blocking out the setting sun. There was no vegetation in sight; the land was nothing but dark- almost black- rock, and several yards away he could just make out a little green speck among a small collection of huts. They had been forced to park a good distance away from the village because of a sudden change in elevation, reminiscent of a stair step, that the RV couldn't get over.

"Lloyd wanted to question the locals and find out if Morro passed through here," Nya informed him as he joined her and matched her gait.

Kai nodded. After a moment, he said hesitantly, "Listen, Nya. I've been thinking...,"

Nya glanced at him warily. "Yes…?"

"You know, we keep talking about the Yin Blade like it's this horrible thing and how we can't let it be used on the night of the eclipse, but…," He scratched the back of his neck. "Ghosts coming back to life. Is that… really such a bad thing?"

Nya recoiled in horror. "Kai-"

"Not the bad guys!" He interrupted, holding up his hands. "I mean, obviously we can't let Chen or Cryptor or anyone come back to Ninjago, but, you know…," He looked away. " _Other_ people…"

Nya sighed, grabbing Kai's arm. "Kai, I know you miss Mom and Dad, but-"

"Not just them! You can't tell me that if Lloyd wasn't so obsessed with Morro right now he wouldn't even _consider_ bringing Garmadon back. What about Cole's mom? Zane's dad?" He pointed out, shaking off his sister's hand.

Nya sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know, Kai. I mean, everyone here is someone's mom or dad or brother or sister. Who are we to say who gets to live?"

"We do _so much_ for Ninjago," Kai argued. "Is it really so wrong to ask for this one thing in return?"

When Nya still didn't look convinced, Kai rolled his eyes and stomped ahead. "Fine, whatever. Sorry I brought it up."

Nya fumed, rushing to catch up to her brother. "Kai, are you seriously going to-"

"Guys!"

They had reached the village by this time, and she cut herself off when she saw Lloyd rushing up to them excitedly, the few dozen villagers moving to meet them as well.

"I was right!" Lloyd exclaimed, half-turning to point at a parked black car that seemed very out of place in the primitive, almost tribal setting. "Morro was here! They said his car broke down, and he stole one of their- well, they call them Lava Crawlers but it's basically a huge lizard they ride around on like horses."

The villagers were gathered around them now, and Kai felt a little claustrophobic in the center of the crowd.

"Did they say where he was going next?" He asked.

Lloyd looked like he was about to answer, but then Kai's and Nya's eyes widened as the villager directly behind him lifted a frying pan- _a frying pan_ \- high over his head. They tried to call out a warning-

The frying pan made a sickening clanging sound as it made contact with the back of Lloyd's head. The Green Ninja dropped like a ton of bricks, out cold.

Their own ninja instincts on high alert now, Kai tried to side step the blunt object he could sense making its way toward his head from behind- but it still clipped him, making his ears ring and his vision blur if not knocking him out.

Only Nya managed to dodge her own attacker altogether. Whipping around, she caught him by surprise and kicked him hard in the midsection, knocking him into two of his companions.

"Kai, watch out!"

Once again, instinct alone allowed him to do Spinjitzu, flooring at least five of their enemies.

And, once he stopped and he suddenly saw four Nyas and four hundred villagers, he reconsidered the wisdom of that decision.

"Kai, come _on_!"

Choosing the Nya on the far left, he squinted and saw she had managed to hoist Lloyd's unconscious body onto her shoulders. When she saw that Kai was lucid enough to follow, she dashed off, knocking ghost after ghost aside.

"You'll pay for this when the saviors get here!" An old woman hissed as the ninja rushed past.

"Saviors?" Kai repeated, blocking a punch rocketing toward his face and throwing the ghost over his shoulder. "You mean, Chen and Kozu and them?"

"They'll reward us for reporting the traitor!" Another man added as he tried to tackle Nya and missed altogether as she did a forward roll- with Lloyd still on her shoulders- and landed on her feet.

"By the traitor, I'm assuming you mean Morro," she huffed, the maneuver taking more out of her than she would have liked to admit.

"And for capturing the ninja!" A lady shrieked, throwing a rather large rock at Kai- which he caught.

"That's where you're wrong," he disputed. He and Nya (with Lloyd in tow) had managed to break free from the crowd. The villagers looked like they were about to give chase- then stopped suddenly.

"Ha! Not ready to take on the ninja, are you?" Kai taunted, even though his head hadn't quite stopped pounding yet.

"No…," a ghost in front pointed at something behind them. "But, they are."

Foreboding crashing into them like a wave, Kai and Nya turned around.

The Stone Army. The invincible Stone Army charging toward them. And leading them? Chen's chair transformed into a dinosaur mech- the Chenosaurus as they recalled- barrelling toward them.

"We need to go _now_!" Nya yelled, sprinting back toward the RV.

"Normally, I'd argue with you and say we need to fight," Kai said semi-conversationally as he rushed past Nya. "But, right now, I agree with you! _Hurry_!"

The water ninja, though, was understandably much slower carrying the dead weight of Lloyd on her shoulders. Seeing that they wouldn't make it, Kai ran as fast as he could toward the RV, threw himself into the driver's seat and slammed on the accelerator in order to meet her halfway.

"Go, go, go!" Nya ordered as she dropped Lloyd on the floor of the RV and slammed the door shut.

"Hey, uh, Miss Master of Only Thing That Can Hurt Ghosts, think you could cook up a little water over there?" Kai asked as he floored it.

"We're in a volcano! _There is no water_!" Nya retorted as she rushed to peer out the rear window to watch the Stone Army and Chen's chair gaining on them. "Can't this thing go any faster!?"

"It's an RV! How fast do you think it can go?!"

Nya huffed, looking about frantically as she tried to think of a solution. Making up her mind, she moved back to the front of the RV and put a hand on the door.

"I'm going to buy us time."

"What?! No!" Kai protested. "I'll do it! You take the wheel!"

After receiving no response, he looked over to see Nya gone and the door to the RV swinging wildly on its hinge. Looking in the rearview mirror, he spotted a huge, blue elemental dragon soaring toward the Stone Army.

Thinking back on the memory he had relived that morning, he grumbled, "Should've smacked you harder…"

Meanwhile, Nya flew straight for Chen and Kozu's Stone Army, both of which were raising their voices in one unified battle cry as she approached. As she got closer, she closed her eyes, focusing her thoughts on her elemental power…

Rain started to fall from her elemental dragon. Knowing the rain would not be enough to completely destroy the ghosts and that she would not be able to keep it up long enough to attack all of them, she flew back and forth in front of the army to deter them instead. The Stone Warriors and Chen came to a screeching halt right before entering the drizzle, just as she desired.

"Surrender, foolish girl!" Kozu shouted, pointing his huge sword at Nya in a threatening manner but unable to attack her in her airborne position.

"Yeah, right!" Nya called back, continuing the downpour even as she could feel her energy depleting already from the constant drain.

"So adorable! Reminds me of Skylor!" Chen yelled in his creepily cheerful manner. "Always wanting to stick her nose where it doesn't belong!" He peered down at his chair then clapped his hands with delight. "Yes, I think I'll pick you!" He announced, jabbing one of his many, many secret buttons.

Nya gasped as a missile came blasting toward her. There was no time-

It exploded her elemental dragon- and Nya fell to the earth like a rock.

"No!" Kai screamed, watching the entire fight in the rearview mirror. Just as he was about to place Lloyd's unconscious body on the gas pedal to keep the RV moving, even knowing he would never make it, even knowing Nya was falling, falling, falling, too fast, too fast, too _fast_ , even knowing that Nya was probably already dead-

He saw a flash of blue.

And, then Nya's elemental dragon reappeared, stopping her descent feet- _inches_ \- from the ground.

Kai's heart started beating again when he saw his sister direct her dragon back toward the RV. The Stone Army and Chen resumed the chase, but even Kai, completely lacking in knowledge of all things physics, could tell that they would never catch up to the RV with the gap that Nya had created. Now, if Nya could just get back safely…

Chen shot another missile from his chair toward Nya, the RV being out of range now, but this one she managed to dodge by dropping lower in the sky- though Kai thought she did it more out of weakness than strategy.

Finally, finally, _finally_ , she flew up alongside the RV and leapt inside, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Nya, are you-"

"I'm fine," she gasped, dropping to her knees. "Think I'll just… take a nap…" Laying down right where she found herself on the floor, almost falling on top of Lloyd's inert body, she immediately fell asleep.

Kai, watching Chen and Kozu's Stone Army get smaller and smaller in the distance, laughed, not quite believing they actually made it out alive. "You did good, sis." He complimented Nya, though he knew she couldn't hear it.

A minute passed in silence. Then, Kai mused to himself, "Wait, is that how Nya feels every time _I_ do something reckless…?"

* * *

Two hours later, Zane, Jay, and Cole were still debating over the best course of action in the room of the inn they had rented for the night. All of them had alternated between making very strong cases as to why they deserved to sacrifice their Soul Stone and trying to form a plan that involved none of them giving their Soul Stones up. None of which were even marginally viable.

But, Cole had stopped listening.

Because he was sitting on the single queen sized bed in their room, watching Jay pace in front of the bed and Zane point out flaws in the plan from the chair at the desk.

And, he couldn't feel anything.

He continuously ran his hands over the bedspread, _trying_ to register even one iota of feeling but it was like his entire body had gone numb. If he closed his eyes it was like he was floating in free space, in nothingness.

"Cole?"

His eyes flew open to see Zane leaning over him in concern.

"I said, do you want to get something to eat?"

Cole blinked, turning to see Jay already at the door. "Oh. Um, yeah. Let's go."

They were halfway down the stairs when Cole really started to feel panic grip him. Because where the stairs should have been splintery and solid beneath his feet, there was nothing. Where he should have felt the railing beneath his hand, there was nothing. Where he should have been hungry or felt anything at all inside him, there was nothing.

"Oh!" Jay shouted, causing their group of three to come to a halt. "I, uh, left the Dark Dagger in the room. You think we should bring it?"

"I'll get it," Cole offered, needing to be alone for a second so he could try to process what was happening to him. The last time he'd felt so numb the feeling had returned a minute or so later, but now… now… now it was just like when he had become a ghost for the first time and couldn't make himself solid enough to feel anything.

Jay and Zane waited on the stairs as Cole reentered the hotel room, looking for where the scatterbrain might have left the insanely valuable blade. He spotted it tossed carelessly on the end of the bed and went to grab it-

It slipped right through his fingers, and he gasped in pain as the blade nicked him.

Swearing under his breath, Cole brought his hand close to his face to inspect the damage and saw a shiny drop of ectoplasm leaking out of a rather shallow cut across his pointer finger. That felt-

Wait.

He'd felt that.

He'd _felt_ that.

Hurriedly picking up the Dark Dagger, Cole peered at it in wonder then glanced warily at the ajar door. Not quite believing what he was doing, he laid the dagger against his opposite palm, revelling in the serrated edge biting into his skin.

He gasped in ragged breaths as he drew the blade along his palm, watching as the ectoplasm leaked out of the wound, and it hurt, it hurt, it _hurt_ but finally he was feeling _something_ , finally he could convince himself he wasn't fading into nothingness…

He moved the knife half an inch lower, barely able to keep himself from crying out as the blade tore open his hand.

He moved it again.

And again.

And-

"Cole, what are you doing?"

The ghost yelled in surprise, turning around to face the door where his two brothers had appeared, and hid both his wounded hand and the hand holding the Dark Dagger currently dripping with his own ectoplasm behind his back.

"Nothing! Just, you know, looking for the knife," he lied.

They didn't believe him.

They marched directly up to him, and Cole winced in anticipation. Grabbing Cole's left arm, Zane wrenched it out from behind his back and turned his hand palm up. Part of Cole was hoping the five or six cuts had closed already, as ghosts healed almost instantly from the wounds made by the Dark Dagger, but he was surprised to see them still there, as fresh as they were seconds ago.

Jay and Zane both gasped upon seeing the self-inflicted wounds and Cole bowed his head in shame. There was uncomfortable silence for a moment, and Cole wondered if they were waiting for him to speak first.

Moving slowly, as if afraid to startle him, Jay reached for his other hand and gently pried the Dark Dagger out of his grip. Cole let him take it.

It was Zane, still holding his wrist, who spoke first.

"Why would you do this to yourself, Cole?"

"I…," There was no escape. He couldn't brush it off with an "I'm fine" or just fall asleep. They were here, they caught him red-handed, and they wanted answers. Feeling cornered, Cole suddenly wanted to burst into tears, but that was only a reminder of another thing he had lost since becoming a ghost. Regardless, a sob caught in his throat, and his brothers looked at him with renewed concern.

Unable to hide it any longer, he cried pathetically, "I am just so _sick_ of not being to feel anything."

"I get that, Cole," Jay said severely, and Cole cringed at the anger in his tone. "But, _this_ ," he held the Dark Dagger up, "is _not_ okay."

"No, no, you don't get it," Cole begged, needing them to understand now that he'd finally opened up about it. "I'm always tired and I zone out and I _can't feel_ anything. Something is _happening_ to me!" Before they could agree or disagree, Cole pushed his wounded hand toward them, edging on panic now that he'd gotten on a roll. "Look! They're not closing up! That's a sign that I'm getting weaker!" His breathing picked up, but he managed to sob, "I'm fading away!"

Cole suddenly felt two hands on his shoulders, pushing him down gently so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Cole, please, you must calm down."

The black ninja shook his head miserably, staring down in disgust at the cuts on his hand- then suddenly, Jay was in his field of vision, crouched on the floor in front of him.

"We've noticed, okay?" Jay said softly. "We've noticed something's been bothering you, and we just wanted you to _talk_ to us before… before doing something like this." Cole's gaze once again trailed to his still bleeding hand, but Jay touched his knee to get him to meet his eyes again. "But, if you thought for one second that that meant we didn't _care_ …"

Cole shook his head. "I thought if I just ignored it… I thought I was going crazy… I don't want to fade away, Jay…"

"Cole, you're not going to fade away, because we're going to find out whatever's happening to you, we're going to find out how to fix it, and then we're going to do whatever it takes to save you because that is just what we do for each other." Jay said, moving to grip both of Cole's upper arms. "I promise."

Cole tackled Jay in a hug, still crying, and the blue ninja, for all his confidence, shared a supremely worried look with Zane over Cole's shoulder as he hugged his brother back. Zane took Cole's former place on the bed and bent over slightly to rub Cole's back, aching in empathy for his terrified brother- when he suddenly gasped and stiffened.

"I have a plan."

* * *

 **So, some action, some angst, Lloyd's passed out, and Zane has a plan? Just another day in the life of the ninja XD**

 **PS: If I'm not by my computer, I'll write my stories on my phone. I've done it so much that two of the three suggestions in the little boxes above the keyboard are "Kai" and "Morro" XD Is that the sign that you have a problem...? XD**


	8. Obsolete

**First of all, I sincerely want to apologize to all of you guys. It didn't even occur to me to include a warning that the last chapter contained self-harm, and I realize that that may be a trigger for some people. I've gone back and added a warning at the beginning of the chapter, but I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart to anyone that was emotionally unprepared for the last chapter.**

 **Now that I've said that: Yay, a Wednesday update! Just a heads up: I have some family visiting this weekend so I can't guarantee that I'll be able to update Saturday :( If I don't, I will definitely update next Wednesday! :D**

 **Special thanks to Drawkill Vear, Breeze015, Crystal Cea, evelinaonline, Mikittrash, RandomDragon2.0, LeUltimateNerd, ABCSKW123-IX, PrairieSkies, SweetHeart114, iNeedCoffie, Peanut2196, IDontHaveAName, NinjagoFangurl7, Plumcicle, Star, TheYellowNinja, SerpentineKing, and StoriesAreMagic for reviewing! You guys are the best!**

 **IDontHaveAName: Haha, sorry about your account! XD It means the world to me that you would make an account to follow my stories though! :D I'm glad you liked Kai's flashback! Yeah, I feel like I got the same exact lecture before XD I'm so happy you like the chapter endings! I'm always so nervous about making sure they "sound like an ending" (if that makes sense :/) so it's not too abrupt or anything :D Haha, I guess seeing "Cole" in my suggestions is better than "Rainbow Dash" XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **NinjagoFangurl7: Yay, I'm so glad you're fangirling! XD Thank you so much!**

 **Plumcicle: Yay, I'm glad you like the angst! I love me some good angst (obviously. XD) Oh my gosh, Finding Morro. How awesome XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Star: Kai finally understands how reckless behavior affects other people XD And Cole is suffering, but at least the others are aware of the problem now! Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **TheYellowNinja: Oh my gosh, I am so sorry to hear about your loved one. I hope you're doing a little better now and that my stories continue to comfort you. That means the world to me that they can do that :) Thank you so much for reviewing, and I hope you are having a better week :D**

 **SerpentineKing: We'll see Zane's plan this chapter! Kai's flashback was mostly to showcase how much he misses his parents and explain why he then suggests to Nya that they activate the Yin Blade to bring other ghosts back to life. We will definitely explore its implications more in the future though! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

Jay, Cole, and Zane hesitated in front of the Bone Keeper's office door. It was the next morning after Cole's incident, and the wounds on his hands had only partially healed, glowing green ectoplasm still perfectly visible in the cuts if not leaking out of them.

"Are you ready, brothers?" Zane asked. He whispered, but they could hear him perfectly. Considering it was the morning, the casino was completely empty, though the bouncers had assured them that the Bone Keeper was eagerly awaiting them in his office.

Jay nodded then turned to Cole. "You sure you're up for this?"

Cole took a deep breath and nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Zane knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

They went in.

The Bone Keeper didn't bother to stand to greet them this time, grinning at them from his desk chair.

"Do we have our volunteer? Or, did someone get voted out?" The Bone Keeper asked, feigning a sympathetic tone though the grin never disappeared.

"We have made our decision." Zane confirmed.

"Well? Don't keep me waiting. We don't have all day." He chuckled. "Rather, _you_ don't have all day. Whose Soul Stone is getting taken today?"

" _We must look at the facts. The Bone Keeper is a merchant of knowledge," Zane explained excitedly to his brothers in the hotel room. "What do we know about him? Or should I say, what does he know about us?"_

" _Our secrets?" Jay guessed. Cole only shrugged._

" _Yes, but he also knows why we came to him in the first place. He knows we would do anything to save Cole, and that is why he wants one of our Soul Stones. Own one of the ninja, own all of them. It is as if he were taking a hostage."_

" _So what?" Cole asked quietly. "How does that help us?"_

" _So, we say exactly what he expects us to say."_

"None of ours," Jay said confidently, lifting his chin defiantly.

The Bone Keeper tsked but, just as Zane predicted, did not seem surprised in the slightest. Standing from his chair he approached the ninja, looking at them as if they were just the sweetest, most naive children he had ever laid eyes on.

"I thought you wanted to know where Morro was? Does the fate of Ninjago mean nothing to you?" He demanded, though he still smiled. "You would sacrifice millions of souls for one?"

" _The Bone Keeper is also a salesman," Zane continued. "When we refuse, he will try to convince us- by any means necessary. He will attack us where we are weakest, for that is his specialty."_

"I mean, Zane isn't even a person. You would sentence Ninjago to extermination to save a robot? You can always just build another when you get back." He cocked his head at Zane. "Because, that's all you are, aren't you, Zane? Some artificial intelligence, a few memories, and a voice on a floppy disk?" He narrowed his eyes, laughing softly. "Do you even have a soul?"

Zane looked away, swallowing.

"Then again, you are useful, which is more than can be said about you, Jay," the Bone Keeper went on, turning his poisonous gaze onto Jay, who visibly shuddered. "You contribute… what? Comic relief? Oh, wait, you're the one that goes around murdering your teammates to keep it exciting."

"It was an accident!" Jay defended, taking a step forward.

"Yes, well, I suppose whatever lets you sleep at night. Really, you would be doing your team a favor by giving me your Soul Stone."

"Sh-shut up…," Jay said, his voice faltering.

"And, Cole," the Bone Keeper announced, moving to stand in front of the other ghost. "The bargain."

Cole kept his eyes trained on the ground and his hands behind his back.

"What, you're not going to ask me what I mean by that?" The Bone Keeper's smile only grew, seemingly amused by Cole's submissive stance. "You already know it. You're fading away as we speak."

Cole looked up in alarm. "How did you-"

"Any ghost with eyes can see it. You really don't have long do you?"

Suddenly, the Bone Keeper, moving as fast as lightning, reached out and snatched Cole's left hand from behind his back. Zane and Jay immediately dropped into fighting stances, but the Bone Keeper made no move to harm Cole. He laughed upon seeing the cuts across his palm, and Cole shut his eyes tight, as if fending off tears that would never come.

"When I saw how faded you already were yesterday, I knew it was only a matter of time before you were driven to drastic measures," the Bone Keeper said mockingly. "Anything to feel again, right, Cole?"

Cole sobbed wordlessly, nodding.

"It means you're being forgotten," the Bone Keeper explained quietly. "They might call you brother, but this is proof that not a single one of them actually cares about you."

Cole gaped at him in horror.

"That's not true, Cole!" Jay argued. "Don't listen to this slimeball!"

"Cole, we love you very much. You will never be forgotten," Zane added, his tone dead serious.

Cole glanced at them incredulously- but his attention was immediately drawn back to the Bone Keeper when the older ghost placed a hand on his head, as if Cole were a dog abandoned in the street.

"It happens to everyone sooner or later," the Bone Keeper told him mock-regretfully. "But, one big sacrifice may help them remember you. Either way, you don't have long, so why sentence one of your brothers to a lifetime of servitude when you would only be my slave for… well, let's just say not for very long."

Cole looked back at the Bone Keeper.

"Cole, don't tell me you're actually considering it!" Jay begged.

"We will find another way, Cole." Zane insisted. "There is always another way."

Cole thought for a moment, studying the purple carpet beneath his feet. Then, he raised his eyes to the Bone Keeper's.

"Okay," he whispered tearfully. "We have a deal."

Cole moved forward, as if he were hugging the Bone Keeper. The Bone Keeper, knowing Cole's fragile emotional state, welcomed him as a benevolent ruler would his subject-

And, gasped when he felt the Dark Dagger plunge deep into his stomach.

" _We must let him do so."_

" _What, let him make us feel bad about ourselves?" Jay demanded, frowning. "I know he'll bring up the whole me pushing Cole thing again, I just_ know _he will!"_

" _Yes," Zane looked sympathetically at Cole. "And, unfortunately, brother, I think he will find the easiest target in you."_

 _Cole glanced at his bloody hand. "Yeah, I think so too. But, are we leading up to something, Zane?"_

 _Zane grinned. "What else do we know about the Bone Keeper? He does not like to lose._

" _So, let him think that he has won."_

The Bone Keeper clawed at the blade buried to the hilt in his abdomen. For the first time since they met him, the smile was gone from his face- and suddenly he was a hundred times more terrifying.

"You-You-" He ground out, enraged- then tensed with pain when Cole twisted the knife before yanking it out of his body altogether. The Bone Keeper swung weakly at Cole, but the black ninja reached inside him regardless, pulling out a small gray and blue stone.

"Yes!" Jay cheered, clapping Cole on the back as he and Zane joined their brother in front of the now kneeling Bone Keeper. "Man, Cole, you should win like an _award_ or something! Instead of a dancer, you should have been an actor!"

"Hey, you guys weren't too bad yourselves," Cole laughed. "That stutter was _perfectly_ timed, Jay. And, Zane, you really had that whole 'strong, silent' thing working for you."

"I could have used a second 'take,' as they say," Zane conceded. "I do not believe my expression was tortured enough."

The three ninja looked up when they heard strange beeping noises, sounding as if they were coming from outside.

And, then the Bone Keeper chuckled.

"Why is he laughing?" Jay asked nervously. "He does realize we have his Soul Stone, right?"

The Bone Keeper stood up, straightening his suit. The wound had already closed, and the smile was back on his face as he applauded them.

"Yes, well-played, ninja. Very well-played. While I admit I was not expecting… this," he said, gesturing to the Soul Stone in Cole's hand. "You cannot possibly think I didn't have a contingency plan in case you were as stubborn as you proved to be today."

There was more beeping and what sounded like the shuffling of a lot of pairs of feet.

"What contingency plan?" Cole demanded.

The Bone Keeper tapped his chin. "Did I say Cryptor and Samukai were coming at three o'clock today? I meant ten o'clock, which is," he looked at his shiny, silver wristwatch. "Oh! Right now."

Finally recognizing the sound to be the approaching nindroid army, Jay and Zane pinned the Bone Keeper to the ground and Cole squeezed the Soul Stone in his hand.

"Tell us where Morro is."

The Bone Keeper grit his teeth with the effort of resisting but eventually growled, "The Ivory Tower. He's in the Ivory Tower."

Downstairs, they heard the doors slam open.

"Stay!" They heard General Cryptor command, presumably speaking to his nindroid army. "Do not move from this spot until I return!"

"Don't tell them where Morro is." Cole whispered as he, Zane, and Jay pressed themselves against the wall. "And, we were never here."

The Bone Keeper's office door slammed open next, and the second Samukai and Cryptor entered the room, the ninja slipped out without being seen.

Creeping downstairs into the eerily empty casino, the three brothers scrambled to find another way out, knowing that the nindroid army was waiting at the front doors- but froze upon hearing Samukai and Cryptor roar in unison, " _What_?!"

Deciding the best course of action was to hide until their two enemies left, the three ninja slid behind some slot machines, blending into the shadows. They watched as Cryptor and Samukai stomped down the stairs, dragging the now beaten and barely conscious Bone Keeper by his oh-so precious pin striped suit.

And, it would have probably worked out perfectly- if Jay hadn't been leaning on the lever of one of the slot machines. He gasped as it slid down with a loud _thunk_ before shooting back up into its original position, the slots rotating crazily.

When they stopped, the machine started flashing extra bright neon lights, announcing "Winner, winner, winner!"

"Hey, I won!" Jay pointed out- only to see Cole and Zane with murderous expressions on their faces.

Seeing no point in secrecy now, the ninja leapt into the center of the casino in fighting stances, facing Cryptor and Samukai who were only now recovering from their shock.

"The ninja!" Samukai shouted, tossing the Bone Keeper aside as if he were garbage. "I should have known."

"If it isn't my clone," Cryptor greeted Zane, crossing his arms as if highly amused.

"Dude, if anyone's a clone here, it's you," Jay argued.

"Silence!" Cryptor snapped. Pointing at Zane, he sneered, "I am the perfect model, and you are obsolete."

"We shall see which of us is obsolete," Zane replied calmly.

"Nindroids! Attack!" General Cryptor commanded before leaping at Zane.

"I'm on the army!" Cole volunteered, rushing toward the open casino doors. Before the nindroids reached the door, Cole summoned his elemental dragon and flew through their ranks, tossing them aside though unable to crush and destroy them.

"Wait, why am I stuck with-" Jay stopped upon seeing the skeleton general step in front of him with all four bone daggers drawn. "Samukai." He finished quietly, tone resigned.

"You disappoint me, clone," Cryptor taunted as he blocked another of Zane's kicks, easily tossing the older nindroid through a slot machine, causing it to sputter and emit black smoke. "Really, I had expected more. Though, I suppose if you were perfect, they wouldn't have made me."

Cryptor recoiled as an icicle was sent careening through the black smoke and nailed him in the side of the face. Zane's foot came next, knocking Cryptor to the floor and pinning him there.

"You talk too much," Zane replied simply, going to stab Cryptor with a shuriken. The nindroid general barely managed to raise his sword in time to block the attack before using it to shove Zane off of him.

Zane made to attack- when he heard Jay scream as he was thrown into a wall. He quickly returned his attention to the fight at hand, but the hesitation had been enough. Cryptor caught him squarely in the side with his twin swords, rocketing Zane clear across the room.

"That is your malfunction," Cryptor mocked, advancing toward Zane as he struggled to right himself. " _Compassion_. Perhaps I will pay a visit to our dear old dad and show him why I am superior to his original model in every way!"

Zane's eyes flashed with anger at the mention of Dr. Julien, but he couldn't manage to get to his feet.

"Oh, you don't like that very much, do you?" Cryptor laughed, grabbing Zane by the throat and lifting him clear off the ground. "Perhaps I will take your head as a peace offering."

Zane, kicking out with his feet, stepped up Cryptor and launched himself into a flip, landing on his feet in front of his enemy with shurikens drawn once again.

"I pity you, Cryptor," Zane commented as their blades met. "You lack compassion; this gives way to arrogance. You lack love; this gives way to emptiness. As a nindroid, you have the universe laid out before you in plain sight, and yet you are blind."

"Silence!" Cryptor commanded, impulsively lunging at Zane- which Zane had expected. Ducking under the blow, Zane tossed Cryptor over his shoulders where he landed in a heap, his swords skidding away from him.

Zane stood over him, shuriken an inch away from his face. "It is over."

The Bone Keeper, which all of them had forgotten about, slumped over and wounded as he was, suddenly grabbed Zane's ankles and pulled them out from under him, causing Zane to crash to the floor.

Zane tried to scramble to his feet- then screamed in pain when Cryptor plunged his sword into his shoulder and through the floor, pinning him to the ground.

"Let us see which one of us is blind once I am finished with you," Cryptor growled, prying open Zane's chest plate to gain access to his internal wiring.

"Zane!" Jay shouted, but he couldn't leave his own battle as he tried to knock aside Samukai's four blades with his swinging nunchucks. Cole was still outside distracting the nindroid army, but Jay knew he wouldn't last long with how weak he already was.

"No…," Zane moaned weakly, trying to knock Cryptor aside. Heedless, Cryptor continued crossing various wires, touching sliced ends together and causing sparks here and there.

"Aha! That should do it!" The nindroid general announced, touching two wires together.

Suddenly, all those present in the room could hear the Bone Keeper's voice as clear as day, playing as a recording: "The Ivory Tower. He's in the Ivory Tower."

Speaking into his wrist, where Zane, in his barely conscious state, saw a communicator attached, Cryptor said, "Chen, Kozu, come in."

"Ah, Crypty! How nice of you to call!" Came Chen's voice in response.

"Morro is in the Ivory Tower. Copy?"

"Affirmative." Came Kozu's succinct reply before the line went dead.

Grinning cruelly at Zane, he hovered his hand over Zane's chest. "Goodnight."

Grabbing a random handful of wires, he yanked them out.

Zane shut down.

"Samukai!" Cryptor barked, closing Zane's chest plate with half the wires hanging out, ripping the sword out of his body, and hoisting the nindroid over his shoulder. "Capture your ninja already and let's go!"

"Zane!" Jay gasped. Adrenaline kicking in, Jay tackled Samukai, hitting the skeleton in the face at breakneck speed with his nunchucks, stunning him. Bounding to his feet, he ran to meet Cryptor, who encumbered as he was with Zane and surprised by Jay's second wind, was unable to block Jay's kick. Cryptor went flying backward and Zane dropped to the ground.

"Cole!" Jay, now closer to the doorway, shouted as Cryptor and Samukai came to their senses. " _Retreat_!"

Grabbing Zane and sprinting out the door, Jay summoned his own elemental dragon. Cole, eyes widening at the sight of Zane in Jay's arms, immediately stopped engaging the nindroid soldiers and led Jay away from the battle.

Cryptor and Samukai ran to the doorway- but it was too late. The elemental dragons were too far away to catch up to.

"No matter," Cryptor shrugged. "We have what we came here for."

* * *

"We have to send the falcon!" Cole insisted. After taking a roundabout path to make their enemies think they had travelled somewhere faraway, Cole and Jay had backtracked to the inn they had stayed in the night before. Zane was lying on the bed, powered down, as Jay anxiously studied the mess of wires in his chest. "The bad guys know where Morro is now! We have to send it if Lloyd and the others have any chance of getting there first!"

"You don't think I'm trying!?" Jay yelled back, flustered. Grabbing two wires, Jay cringed, bringing them closer together. "Okay, I think this is it…," When he touched them together, Zane's fist shot out and punched Jay squarely in the gut.

Wheezing, Jay managed, "Okay, not it."

"This is not the time for games, Jay!"

"I'm not playing!" Jay defended, regaining his breath. "Okay, _these_ should be connected to the falcon."

When he touched them together, the plate in Zane's arm shifted and the falcon unfolded, cawing happily. It cocked its head upon seeing Zane's vulnerable state but cooed when Cole touched it on the head.

"Record," Cole commanded. The falcon beeped, announcing that whatever they said next would be taped. "We took the Bone Keeper's Soul Stone and found out Morro's location; he's in some place called the Ivory Tower. But, there's bad news, guys. Cryptor and Samukai found out too. Chen and Kozu are already on their way there. Also, Zane got damaged in the battle. We're going to have to stay here for a little while so Jay can repair him. Um… send back an update and whatever you want us to do next, Lloyd, whenever you get the chance."

To the falcon, Cole said, "End recording."

Just as Cole moved to open the window, Jay called out. "Wait, don't you think you should have mentioned something about… about you fading away?"

Cole pressed his mouth into a line, looking down at the falcon that had perched on the windowsill. "Nah, they need to focus on Morro. It can wait."

"Cole-"

"Find Lloyd," Cole told the falcon. It cawed again and jumped off the windowsill, soaring into the desert sky.

* * *

 **The race is on! Who will get to Morro first?!**

 **Again, I just want to apologize about not including a trigger warning last chapter. I feel absolutely terrible about it, and I hope you guys can find it in your hearts to forgive me.**


	9. I'm Such a Scatterbrain

**I know I'm a tad late for the Saturday update, but I wanted to go ahead and get this out here tonight! And, I'll be replying to reviews right after I post this! It might be hard for me to update these next few weeks, so I'll have to play it by ear with the schedule :/ But I am so close to being done with school and then I can just write all the time! :D :D :D**

 **Special thanks to ILoveCheetos, SweetHeart114, LeUltimateNerd, Drawkill Vear, Peanut 2196, Mikittrash, RandomDragon 2.0, Crystal Cea, Star, TheYellowNinja, evelinaonline, xxXTheySayI'mEvilXxx, SerpentineKing, WindNinja333, ABCSKW123-IX, StoriesAreMagic, and MASTER OF SLEEP for reviewing!**

 **Star: Zane is so smart XD We'll see ;D Thanks for reviewing!**

 **TheYellowNinja: Once again, it means the world to me that my stories can help you even the tiniest bit through this hard time. I really hope you and your family are doing better, but I can't imagine how you must be feeling :( My thoughts are with you. Hopefully, Jay can fix Zane, but you never know... Thank you for your forgiveness, I really felt terrible about it. Thank you so much for your kindness!**

 **SerpentineKing: Yep, Zane's plan was awesome XD Lydia and Gem stayed in the Lost Soul camp, but we will get back to them shortly ;D Thank you for reviewing!**

 **MASTER OF SLEEP: You don't die when your Soul Stone gets taken. The person who owns your Soul Stone becomes your master, and you must obey their every command; thus, the Bone Keeper still exists separately from his Soul Stone, but must do whatever Cole (or whoever is holding his Soul Stone at the time) says. Zane might make a mistake... We'll see... ;D Gem, Lydia, and Corrine stayed behind in the Lost Soul camp, but we'll see them again soon! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

"Guys, watch out!" Lloyd shouted, sitting up- then blinked in confusion when he saw he was not in the volcanic village surrounded by deceitful villagers raising frying pans over Kai's and Nya's heads but back inside the RV.

"Lloyd, you're awake!" Nya shouted, hugging him. "You've been out for so long, we were starting to get worried.

"Out for…?" Lloyd furrowed his brow, then turned to look out the window where he saw not a volcano but a snow-capped mountain, flurries of snowflakes pelting the RV's window. "Where- What-" Then he noticed the position of the sun. "Woah, woah, woah, it's morning?! As in, _the next day_!?"

"Chill, Lloyd," Kai said, placing his hand on the bewildered Green Ninja's shoulder. "It's okay."

"What happened?" He demanded.

Kai and Nya proceeded to relate the story of being attacked by Chen and Kozu and barely escaping by the skin of their teeth and then finding refuge in the next environment over, which happened to be the arctic tundra. Lloyd listened, horrified that he had missed so much.

"So, any lead we had on them is gone," Lloyd concluded, dropping his head in his hands. "And, we have no clue where to go next."

Kai and Nya shared a look. "Lloyd-"

They gasped upon hearing a tapping sound- then grinned upon seeing Zane's falcon outside the window. Kai opened the RV's door, and the falcon flew inside, settling on Lloyd's knee where he was still half lounging on the window seat.

They listened with rapt attention as it played the recording.

"Zane's damaged?" Kai repeated worriedly.

"Jay can fix him," Nya replied confidently.

"What the heck is the Ivory Tower?" Lloyd asked, frowning in confusion.

"Wait…," Nya said, turning back toward the breakfast nook. "Ivory Tower… Why does that sound familiar…?"

Spreading out the map Lydia had given them on the table, Nya laughed. "Right, I remember now! The Ivory Tower isn't a tower! It's a mountain!" Rushing toward the window, she pointed at the snow-capped mountain Lloyd had first noticed upon awakening. "It's that mountain!"

The Green Ninja shook his head miserably. "But, they must have recorded this message at least an hour ago, and the bad guys were already on their way then. We'll never make it in time!"

Kai suddenly grabbed him by the front of his green gi, half hauling him into a standing position. "That sounds like quitter talk. And, _what_ do ninja never do?"

Lloyd looked back at Kai solemnly before his face split into a smile. "Ninja never quit."

"So, let's go!" Nya yelled, hopping into the driver's seat and flooring it.

Once they pulled up to the base of the mountain, Nya managed to guide the RV into a small alcove where it was at least partially hidden. They searched the interior of their vehicle thoroughly but found nothing heavier than the brown cloaks they had worn the day before. Throwing these on, they began their slow, arduous ascent.

"Hey, doesn't this remind you guys of that time we climbed the Wailing Alps?" Kai commented. He tried to keep the mood light, as they were already shivering in the arctic temperatures.

"I wasn't there," Nya replied.

"I was in front of you guys. Then I was behind you guys. I was also not in control of my body," Lloyd commented offhandedly.

Kai coughed. "Oh. Right. Man, where are the guys when you need them…?"

Being ninja, they covered ground fast but the climb was still slow going, especially with the wind tearing at their clothes and making their eyes water. They realized why Morro would have chosen this place to hole up in, considering it gave him quite the elemental advantage.

"A-Are we sure he's e-even here?" Lloyd asked as they passed the halfway mark.

Suddenly, they saw several dark objects shoot out from the peak of the mountain, plummeting toward the earth like rocks. As they came closer, the ninja were shocked to see that's basically what they were: Stone Warriors being tossed off the mountain.

"Ha, is that all you got!? I haven't even broken a sweat!"

"He's here," Kai and Nya replied in unison.

Empowered by knowing Morro was so close and in need of assistance, the ninja quickened their pace. They climbed valiantly, but their hands were already going numb, their bodies wanting to slow down and shut down even as they pushed to keep going. Morro's taunts grew farther and farther apart, and the Stone Warriors ceased to be thrown off the mountain by his wind power altogether.

By the time they reached the top, it was too late.

Poking their heads into the entrance of the cave at the peak so as to not be seen, they were horrified to see Morro, having finally been overwhelmed by the sheer number of the invincible warriors, on his knees in chains at the center of the Stone Warrior army with Chen and Kozu standing over him. Squinting, they saw it was Vengestone handcuffs around his wrists, rendering his elemental powers and ghost abilities useless.

Kai made to leap into action- but Lloyd grabbed his shoulder and shook his head, knowing they would be defeated just as Morro had if they attacked so many Stone Warriors at once. Jerking his head, the three ninja skulked further into the cave, careful not to be seen. Huddling behind some stalagmites almost directly in front of Morro, they watched the scene play out.

"Where is the Yin Blade?" Kozu demanded for what sounded like the second or third time.

Morro tapped his chin with his chained hand. "Yin Blade… Yin Blade… you know, I must have left it in my other pants."

Kozu punched him, making the three ninja start.

But Morro only laughed, rubbing his jaw. "Are you kidding? I hurt myself worse than that just for fun!"

Kozu punched him harder.

Morro laughed again, holding a thumbs up once he recovered. "Now, _that's_ what I'm talking about!" He turned his face in the opposite direction. "C'mon, at least do the other side so it's symmetrical."

Kozu seemed ready to comply- when Chen placed a hand on his fist. "Kozy, you're letting the child bait you." To Morro, "Now, where is the Yin Blade?"

"I told you, I must have misplaced it," Morro replied, splaying his hands helplessly. "I don't have it."

"You might as well tell us now. We have plenty of other ways of making you comply." Chen placed his foot on the chain connecting Morro's wrists, slamming his foot down and making Morro lunge forward. Now that Morro was bent over, he placed the foot on the back of his head and stomped Morro's face into the ground. The three ninja winced in sympathy.

Suddenly, a Stone Warrior rushed up to Kozu, speaking in their strange language. Kozu nodded and turned to Chen, "They've searched the whole cave. It's not here."

Morro began to pick himself up off the ground, raising himself onto his palms and looking up. His eyes skimmed past the ninja-

Morro did a double take, eyes widening slightly in disbelief as he focused on the ninja mostly hidden behind the stalagmites. Nya frantically motioned at him to be quiet about their presence.

Kozu grabbed Morro's shoulder and yanked him back into the kneeling position he had been in before Chen had tried to scrape his face off. "Where is it?"

"How about I tell you in the form of a riddle?" Morro taunted. Then, raising his voice slightly, he said, "I gave it to the last person you think would trust me."

The ninja shared wide eyed looks as they realized Morro was speaking to them, giving them a clue even if he couldn't risk glancing over in their direction again lest it draw the attention of their enemies.

"I love games!" Chen exclaimed excitedly before shaking his head regretfully. "But, we don't have time for one. I guess we'll have to do this the hard way- which is my favorite way!"

Kozu suddenly brandished a Dark Dagger of their very own, and Morro's eyes widened as he realized they could simply take his Soul Stone and compel him to share the secret of the Yin Blade's location. The ninja tensed, preparing to stop that from happening-

When Chen called out, "Wait!"

Kozu paused with the Dark Dagger centimeters away from Morro's stomach, glaring at the Anacondrai fanatic. Morro sighed in relief.

"No, no, this isn't right," Chen said, grinning down at Morro. "He still has followers. I see more and more people with green streaks in their hair every day."

Morro smirked, "I didn't realize I had become such a fashion statement."

"Do this here, we make him into a martyr. Cause his 'Lost Souls' to rally," Chen continued as if Morro hadn't spoken. "But, if we do it in front of everybody, disgrace him, render him powerless, make him our slave where everybody can see, we crush their spirits."

Kozu pondered this, narrowing his eyes at Morro, before nodding curtly and putting the Dark Dagger away. He gave an order to the Stone Warriors in their native tongue, and they began filing out of the cave, climbing back down the mountain. Then, he attached a chain to Morro's Vengestone handcuffs that could function as a sort of leash and yanked the rebel ghost to his feet.

"Hey, wait, don't forget my phone!" Morro called, raising his voice again and chancing a glance at the ninja still hidden behind the stalagmites to let them know this was another message meant for them. "It has some really good stuff in it!"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Chen exclaimed, rushing over to his chair and grabbing something before rejoining Morro. "Whenever I heard how chatty you were, I had this made as a gift for you."

It looked to be some sort of small, curved grate made out of Vengestone with straps on either end. It almost looked like it could fit over-

The ninja's eyes widened when they realized what it was.

A muzzle.

Morro backed away when he arrived at the same conclusion. "Chen, if you put that on me, I swear I will make the rest of your afterlife a living-"

Whatever Morro was going to say next was cut off as Chen forced the muzzle over his face, buckling the strap in the back and silencing Morro completely.

"A perfect fit! Does Morro like his new toy?" Chen grabbed the front of the muzzle, jerking Morro's head up and down to imitate a nod. "Yes, he does!"

If looks could kill, Chen would have died a thousand excruciatingly painful deaths, but as it was, Morro could do or say nothing else.

"Enough of this foolishness!" Kozu snapped, jerking Morro forward by the chain. The ghost stumbled but caught himself before falling. "Time is of the essence!"

"Alright, alright, don't get your panties in a twist, Kozy-Kozy, I'm coming!" Chen called, hopping into his chair and guiding it out of the cave.

Now that all of the bad guys' backs were turned, Lloyd made a subtle hand motion, ready to attack them and catch them off guard. Maybe if they could capture Kozu, they could force him to call off the rest of the Stone Army-

Morro turned to look at them over his shoulder.

And shook his head. Telling them not to attack but to stay hidden.

Kai and Nya looked helplessly at Lloyd. The Green Ninja hesitated but eventually nodded at Morro. Morro offered a single nod in return before turning back to face the front, following his captors back down the mountain.

Once they were sure they were alone, Kai threw his arms into the air. "What the heck, Lloyd?! We could have saved him! Now, they're going to take his Soul Stone!"

"Morro is… not the most important thing anymore," he said, still staring at the entrance of the cave as if not quite believing it himself. "He told us to wait because he wants us to get to the Yin Blade first. That's why he gave us a clue."

"A really confusing clue," Nya added, scratching her head. "'The last person you think would trust me.' Who in the world could he be talking about?"

"I thought Morro had like a _ton_ of enemies!" Kai complained, grabbing his hair. "How are we supposed to know who trusts him the least out of all of them?!"

"And, why would he give the Blade to someone that didn't trust him?" Lloyd asked, hand on his chin. "There must have been some other reason. Some reason _he_ trusted _them_."

"Wait, maybe there's a clue on the phone!" Kai exclaimed, rushing to over to the pile of Morro's possessions that the Stone Warriors had carelessly strewn about in their search for the Yin Blade. "Remember, he said, 'Don't forget my phone. There's good stuff in it.'" He bent down, scooping something off the ground, turning the beat up, faded red cell phone he had given to Morro the last time they had been here over in his hand. "Aha! Man, I can't believe he still has this."

"Well, what does it have on there?" Lloyd asked.

Kai tried pressing the buttons, swiping his fingers along the black screen, holding down the power button… and nothing happened. "It's dead."

Lloyd groaned, throwing his hands in the air. "So, Morro leaves us a stupid riddle and a phone he couldn't be bothered to charge. That's just like him." He straightened, thinking. "Then again, this could just be a red herring too. He might be trying to keep us away from the Yin Blade as well."

"Hey, Lloyd, he did just let himself become a prisoner," Nya pointed out gently.

"Look, Nya, you think you can rig some sort of cell phone charger down in the RV?" Kai asked, mediating instead of instigating for once in his life.

Nya hummed, thinking. "Yeah, I could probably figure something out."

"See? We'll get it figured out in no time, Lloyd."

"Yeah, alright…," Lloyd grumbled, stalking toward the entrance of the cave.

* * *

Lloyd huffed in frustration for what had to be the tenth time in the past two minutes from the driver's seat.

"Lloyd, something you want to talk about?" Nya asked as she had Kai weld together two wires she had managed to salvage from the RV's glove box as she tried to create a cell phone charger out of only what they had on board.

Realizing that Morro could have left the Yin Blade anywhere, they had agreed that there was no point in staying at the Ivory Tower, so they were heading back to the Lost Soul encampment to regroup. Lloyd had also sent back Zane's falcon telling Cole and Jay to join them there as soon as their brother was repaired.

"It's just… I don't know. Something about what Morro said is bothering me," he admitted, watching their environment change from volcano (they had given the village a wide berth) and passed into the beachy sector where they had received help from Benjy, Kai's not-so-secret admirer.

"You mean, the part where his clue doesn't make any sense or the part where he gave us a dead phone?" Kai retorted, groaning as he had to weld more wires together at Nya's behest.

"No, I mean something about what he _said_. Specifically. I feel like we're missing something obvious…," he trailed off, sighing again. "I just can't place my finger on it." He shook his head, glancing at his siblings in the rearview mirror. "Almost done back there?"

"Yeah, almost," Nya replied.

They drove for silence for a little while- when Kai called out, "Woah, what's going on over there?"

Lloyd slowed down as he turned to see the same coastal village with Sebastian's Souvenir Shop and Benjy they had stopped in the day before- but it seemed as if every single ghost was gathered in the center of the town, all watching... _something_ intensely.

Lloyd bit his lip, not wanting to distract Nya from her task of getting them closer to whatever Morro had on his phone- but eventually brought the RV to a halt. "I guess we should check it out."

The three ninja warily approached the crowd, remembering what happened the last time they had let themselves be surrounded. None of the ghosts spared them half a glance though, and once the ninja got closer, they saw the whole crowd around a large TV someone had set up in the middle of town so everybody could watch.

"Hey!" Kai shouted, spotting Benjy. He grasped the artist's shoulder, and Benjy's mouth immediately went slack, all but melting into a puddle at the contact. Kai quickly released him. "What's going on? What are you guys all watching?"

"You didn't hear? The scary ghosts caught Morro!" Benjy replied, nodding at the TV screen. "Hey, I thought you guys were looking for him?"

"We were. We didn't make it in time," Nya explained, trying to peer over the ghosts' heads at the TV screen. "But, what's on the TV?"

"They're about to rip out Morro's Soul Stone! Oh, look, here he comes now!"

The three ninja shoved their way to the front of the crowd, watching the screen intently. Recognizing the town square of the city where they had first entered the Departed Realm via portal, they were surprised to see a stage had been erected and a _huge_ crowd gathered in front of it. Several of the audience members bore the green streak, proclaiming their loyalty to Morro, but both sides maintained the tense peace so they could watch Morro's fate.

Suddenly, Chen, Samukai, and General Cryptor appeared on stage, Chen waving excitedly at the crowd. The few boos were drowned out by the deafening cheers.

Kozu appeared and _bodily tossed_ Morro into the center of the stage. The ninja and the villagers and the live audience couldn't contain their gasps as Morro slammed into the wooden floor. Morro lay still for a moment, the Vengestone handcuffs and muzzle still adorning his body, then slowly pushed himself into a kneeling position.

He blinked once, twice, gathering his bearings…

Then, waved at the camera.

The boos could have made anybody cringe, but a few audience members were raising their arms in victory.

General Cryptor unbuckled the muzzle from around his mouth. "This is your last chance, impudent boy. Will you cooperate?"

Morro grinned. "Nah."

Without warning, Kozu jerked Morro up by the front of his shirt and thrust the Dark Dagger into his stomach. A shuddering grunt of pain escaped Morro as he slumped over in Kozu's grasp. Nya gasped, clapping a hand to her mouth, and Kai had to look away from the screen. The few Lost Souls in the audience tried to surge forward in protest, but the many others on the opposing side easily kept them in place.

Lloyd grabbed his head, shaking it back and forth in despair. "It's too late. They'll have the Blade in no time. We're too late…"

Kozu yanked the Dagger out, splattering the front row with Morro's ectoplasm, and reached his fist inside to pull out Morro's Soul Stone.

They were expecting the Stone Warrior general to turn around, hold the Soul Stone up to the audience and the camera and announce victory. But, Kozu didn't move, still holding up Morro who could not support himself on his own two feet.

"What's the problem?" Samukai demanded as he and his other two accomplices advanced toward the ghost pair.

Kozu growled, raising Morro into the air with one arm and slamming him down on the stage. "He doesn't have it."

Silence.

Lloyd, Kai, and Nya looked at each other, not believing their ears.

"What do you mean he doesn't have it?!" Samukai screeched, grabbing Kozu by the shoulders.

"Unhand me," Kozu commanded, pushing the skeleton off. "His Soul Stone is not there. He cut it out of himself."

Morro propped himself up on one elbow, smiling mock-sheepishly though his eyes were nothing but arrogant. "Oops. Guess I lost that too. I'm such a scatterbrain."

By now the crowd was in a frenzy. Invigorated by Morro's narrow escape from betraying his cause, the Lost Souls were near-rioting, pushing their enemy ghosts backward. Fights were breaking out, ghosts were storming the stage, Chen, Kozu, Samukai, and Cryptor were being forced to evacuate the square, dragging a captive Morro with them-

The camera feed cut out. The screen went dark.

"Morro cut out his own Soul Stone?" Kai asked, turning to his siblings. "But-But when… where…?"

"But, the Bone Keeper… He tracks people by their Soul Stones, doesn't he? If he told the others Morro was in the Ivory Tower, his Soul Stone must have been there too." She gasped. "What if he knew he was being surrounded and he cut it out of himself before Chen and Kozu attacked? He must have hid it somewhere in that cave. We have to go back and find it before they do!"

Lloyd suddenly turned on his heel and sprinted back toward the RV. Kai and Nya called after him and gave chase. When the siblings entered the RV, they saw Lloyd with Morro's red cell phone in hand.

"That's what was bothering me!" Lloyd shouted with barely contained elation. "What did Morro say _exactly_? 'Don't forget my phone! It has some really good stuff in it!'" He waved the phone at them as if that explained everything. "'It has some really good stuff _in_ it!' Not _on_ it, _in_ it."

He raised the cell phone high above his head-

"Lloyd!" Nya cried out before Lloyd could follow through. "If you're wrong, you run the risk of destroying any information on there about the Yin Blade."

Lloyd considered this. "I know Morro when it comes to stuff like this. This is _exactly_ something he would do." He looked at his siblings solemnly. "Do you guys trust me?"

Kai and Nya shared a look, then nodded at their leader. "Always."

Smiling to show his appreciation, Lloyd threw the cell phone as hard as he could against the floor of the RV, where it immediately shattered into a dozen pieces.

And among the wreckage, muted green in color with black splotches marring its surface, was a small, oval stone.

* * *

 **Morro finally makes an appearance! ...And then gets captured :/**

 **But, who did he give the Yin Blade to?! Future shout outs to anyone who guesses correctly ;D**


	10. It's Okay

**First of all, I just want to thank everyone has taken the time to click on this story! I'm sorry there was no Wednesday update this week, and I'm also sorry because there probably won't be one this upcoming Wednesday either :( But, I'm SO CLOSE to being finished with school! I CAN'T WAIT!**

 ***Ahem* Anyway, special thanks to Breeze015, evelinaonline, RandomDragon2.0, xxXTheySayI'mEvilXxx, Crystal Cea, WindNinja333, Star, SerpentineKing, MASTER OF SLEEP, TheYellowNinja, ILoveCheetos, SweetHeart114, Peanut2196, LeUltimateNerd, StoriesAreMagic, ABCSKW123-IX, and FirstFandomFangirl for reviewing! I will be replying to reviews right after posting this!**

 **Star: Yes, Morro is a (formerly) evil genius ;D Good guess! We will see ;D Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **SerpentineKing: Ooh, interesting guess! We'll find out... eventually. XD Thanks for reviewing!**

 **MASTER OF SLEEP: Maybe! Keep reading to find out ;D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: Haha, what can I say? I can't resist a good plot twist ;D Aw, thank you so much! Your compliments mean the world to me! :D Haha, you never know- "impossible" never really seems to apply to the ninja anyway XD Thank you so much for reviewing!**

* * *

"How's it going, Jay?" Cole asked.

The blue ninja sighed in frustration, slumping over in his chair. Zane continued to lay still on the bed, chest plate open and displaying his slightly less disorganized wires for the world to see. "I don't know, Cole. I mean, without my tools and all our scanners and stuff, it's basically guess and check."

Cole turned back to the window, feeling stupid and useless for not being able to do more to help. "Sorry."

Jay sighed again, "Cole-"

"Hey, look!" The black ninja pointed, hopping out of his seat. Opening the window, he allowed Zane's falcon to fly in where it immediately flew up to Zane. Once again, it seemed confused when Zane didn't move to greet it but played the message regardless.

Cole and Jay deflated when they received the news that Lloyd, Kai, and Nya hadn't been able to get to Morro in time and now all they had to go off of were a few clues while the bad guys would have access to Morro's Soul Stone and therefore the Yin Blade's exact location. The order to go back to the Lost Soul encampment once Zane was fixed didn't lighten their mood, because to them, it seemed like giving up.

"No, we can't let this get us down!" Jay announced, turning back to Zane with a determined expression on his face. "We have to think positively. I mean, it's not like the bad guys actually _have_ the Yin Blade yet. We still have time to find it. Besides, there's still, what, four days until the eclipse? That's _plenty_ of time!"

Cole smiled slightly, feeling hopeful if his brother could be optimistic even at a time like this. "Yeah, you're right-"

Cole froze.

He blinked, studying the blue ninja, and trying-trying-trying to-

He couldn't remember his name.

The blue one was his brother, his family, and now he was looking at Cole in concern and saying something- but Cole couldn't hear, couldn't breathe, because _he couldn't remember his name_.

Suddenly, Cole was crouched on the floor, rolled up in a ball in the corner and hyperventilating, and the blue one was in front of him, pleading with him- he loved him, his brother _loved_ him, he was his brother, his family, so why couldn't he remember his name? _Why couldn't he remember his name_?

"Cole, Cole, please, talk to me. I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

It sounded like the blue one was on the verge of tears, but Cole couldn't speak- he racked his brain. _His name, his name, what was his_ name _?_

"Hey, hey, it's okay," the blue one said softly, trying to calm him down. He rubbed his arms reassuringly, smoothed down his hair fondly, and Cole knew he didn't deserve a brother like this if he couldn't even _remember his name_.

"Cole," the blue one said sharply, and he jumped. "Cole, whatever it is, we'll figure it out, but you have to tell me what scared you so bad."

Cole was sobbing, but he met his brother's eyes as he choked out, "I can't remember your name."

The blue one's eyes widened with horror, and he pulled away slightly. Cole buried his face in his knees, too ashamed to meet that gaze any longer.

He felt a hand on his back, one on his arm. "Cole, you know me. It's me, Jay."

 _Jay_.

He looked up- _Jay, Jay, Jay, it was Jay_ \- and suddenly it seemed ludicrous that he had ever _not_ known his brother's name.

"Jay," he repeated in a near-whisper, trying to cement it in his mind, trying to grab hold of the word and never let it go again. "Jay."

"Yeah, yeah, Jay, it's me," Jay confirmed, still looking at Cole with an alarmed expression.

"I'm sorry, Jay," Cole buried his face in his knees again, still repeating the word in his mind- _Jay, Jay, Jay_. "I'm so so sorry."

Jay pulled his brother against his chest, simply at a loss with what else to do. "It's okay," he reassured, though it wasn't, it wasn't, it _wasn't_ okay, not okay at all, not okay and not _fair_ that Cole was falling apart faster than they could pick up the pieces.

But, what else could he say to his crying, panicking brother that was rightfully terrified of losing himself?

"It's okay," he said again. "It's okay."

* * *

Jay sighed, rubbing a hand over his face for the umpth time. It was late at night- he had no idea what time it was- but determined to fix the brother that he was able to, Jay did not let himself sleep but pushed himself to keep working on Zane.

He glanced at Cole occupying the other half of the bed. The ghost had pretty much fallen asleep in Jay's arms after his mini emotional breakdown and hadn't stirred since then.

"C'mon, Zane, I need you right now," Jay whispered, crossing several wires and connecting them into the ports that he assumed were correct. He wasn't good at this: being the one people relied on. Like the Bone Keeper said, he was mostly around for comic relief, and at this point he himself was almost falling apart with the stress of supporting two broken brothers.

Well, that wasn't exactly true. He _had_ been good at it- when he was leading his ragtag team to storm Nadakhan's sky palace and save Nya. But, that had never happened, so it didn't really count. Jay had never been a leader, a hero, so he was still just the comic relief guy that screwed up more often than not.

But, if he could get Zane back online…

Crossing his fingers, Jay pushed the last wire into place. Jay held his breath, but when nothing happened, he groaned, reaching to pull the wires back out and try again-

Zane's eyes snapped open.

He catapulted himself into a sitting position, pushing his chest plate back into place when he noticed it was open.

"Zane!" Jay whisper-shouted, throwing both his arms around the nindroid's neck.

"Jay?" Zane asked, and joy flooded the blue ninja's body when he confirmed that this brother did, in fact, remember his name. "What's going on? Where's Cryptor?"

Jay sat back and quickly related everything that had happened while Zane had been unconscious, including Lloyd's latest message about their failure in finding Morro and, by extension, the Yin Blade.

He hesitated when he came to relating the most recent event. He glanced at the ghost sleeping like a rock.

"And, uh, Cole kind of had a freak out," Jay said quietly, looking at his lap.

"A 'freak out?'"

"He…," Jay hurriedly wiped at his eye. If he was going to have to be the strong one, he couldn't cry at the drop of a hat. "He couldn't remember my name."

Zane started. "What?"

He looked up, meeting Zane's eyes and seeing the same fear he felt reflected there. "He seemed to know his own name, and I think he _recognized_ me, but he couldn't remember my name. He had, like, a panic attack about it." Jay explained tearfully.

Zane turned his gaze on his slumbering brother beside him, resting a hand on Cole's head. "I see."

"What are we going to do?" Jay asked, unable to keep the tears at bay anymore. "It's happening again, Zane. It's happening _again_. He's losing his memories. He's going to disappear again."

"No, he won't."

Jay looked back at Zane helplessly. "But… how? What can we do? He has his whole Soul Stone, so why is this…?" He trailed off.

"I have been pondering this conundrum. More of the solution than the cause," Zane said, stroking Cole's hair soothingly. "We are searching for the Yin Blade."

When it seemed like he was waiting for confirmation, Jay nodded. "Yeah…?"

"The Yin Blade turns ghosts back into humans." Zane turned away from Cole and looked seriously at Jay. "Cole is a ghost."

Jay gasped. "You're saying we should… actually activate the Yin Blade on the night of the eclipse?"

"Yes." Zane nodded. "If what the Bone Keeper said is correct, if Cole is fading away naturally, this may be the only way to save him."

Jay wrung his hands. "I don't know. It's risky. Kai might go for it, but I doubt Lloyd and Nya would unless… unless they knew for sure it was a last resort."

"Then, we must make sure that it is," Zane said, nodding. "We will question those at the camp and try to determine what is causing this… with the Yin Blade as a last resort."

Jay nodded. "Yeah, sounds good. But, we've got to keep a pretty close eye on him until then."

Zane stood. "I will keep vigil. Sleep, Jay," he ordered pointing at the bed. "You have done a lot. Thank you for repairing me."

"Yeah, Zane, of course. You don't have to thank me," Jay said. He probably should have argued when Zane offered him the bed, but honestly Jay was too tired to do anything but let his eyes fall shut like they had been wanting to all night. He laid down beside Cole, and Zane took his place on the chair by the bed. "Wake me first thing in the morning, alright?"

"Very well," Zane replied, leaning back in the chair. "Good job today, Jay. I am very proud of you."

Jay gave a little nervous laugh, turning onto his side. "Heh, thanks. I didn't really do anything, though."

He was positive Zane said something after that, but Jay's eyes were already closing and he fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Jay squeezed the blue and gray Soul Stone in his hand. Cole was still sleeping, and there was no way they were going to leave him alone after last night, so Zane had volunteered to stay behind with him.

Which meant Jay had to face the Bone Keeper alone.

"You have his Soul Stone," Jay whispered to himself encouragingly as he mounted the steps to the office. Once again, the casino was empty seeing how it was morning, but the silence did nothing to calm Jay's nerves. "There's nothing he can do to you."

At the Bone Keeper's door, he raised his hand to knock, but then, remembering that _he_ was he one in charge here, he barged in without announcement.

The Bone Keeper, having recovered from his injuries dealt to him by Cryptor and Samukai, had seemed to anticipate his arrival though and stood up from his desk chair with his creepy grin perfectly in place.

"Jay, what a pleasure! Come to rip something else out of my body?" He asked, his tone friendly and frankly unsettling.

"We need a vehicle," Jay said, hoping he sounded firm enough. "Something fast, faster than a car. You must have plenty."

The Bone Keeper cocked his head. "Really, that's all? I thought you would want to ask about- well, never mind, it's not my place to say. I am your humble servant after all." He walked past Jay and headed out the door. "Come."

Jay was already dying with the agony of not knowing what the end of the Bone Keeper's sentence was. He knew the Bone Keeper did it on purpose- somehow he always seemed to be the one in control- but Jay had to know. Was it about Cole? Morro? Their enemies?

They made it to the bottom floor before Jay finally broke.

"Ask about what?"

And, he _hated_ the Bone Keeper's arrogant smirk, but at least he would get answers.

"Oh, it's really of no consequence; honestly, I don't know why I brought it up-"

"Ask about _what_?" Jay interrupted, narrowing his eyes. The Bone Keeper led him through a door off the main casino, and Jay balked at the multitudinous vehicles filling a garage that was at least as big as his parents' entire junkyard.

"I just thought you'd like to know about your mother, but I suppose not," the Bone Keeper threw over his shoulder.

Jay came to a dead stop. "What about her?"

"I think there's a vehicle that might suit your tastes-"

"What about her?" Jay demanded, running to catch up to the Bone Keeper.

"Hm? Oh, just that she comes to me every year on her death day- your birthday- to ask where her husband and son are. I don't think I've ever seen a woman look so crushingly depressed and yet so happy at the same time when I tell her the same thing every time: not here yet."

Guilt hit Jay as if he'd had a weight tied to his heart. Lydia's one true desire was to see her family, the one she had been so cruelly ripped away from, and Jay was denying her that.

But, he didn't think he could bear seeing the disappointment in her eyes whenever he told her. Wasn't letting her believe she had a perfect son better than proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that that was nowhere near the truth?

"I must say I quite enjoy her visits, though," the Bone Keeper continued, as if he were oblivious to Jay's internal dilemma, though Jay thought he knew anyway. "She's a very beautiful woman. Out of all my customers, I think I like receiving my… _payment_ from her the most."

And then he _winked_.

Rage, more potent than any he had ever felt before, crashed through Jay like a wave, turning his vision red. He grabbed the Bone Keeper by the front of his pin-striped suit and slammed him against the eighteen wheeler truck they were passing.

"Don't you _ever_ touch her," Jay growled, glaring up at the ghost who was half a head taller.

The Bone Keeper, very rarely flustered, only smirked down at Jay. "I'm curious. How did she react when you told her you were her son?"

Jay swallowed, saying nothing.

The Bone Keeper's jaw dropped.

Then he laughed a loud, barking, _mocking_ laugh, and Jay felt his ears burn bright red.

"You haven't told her!" The Bone Keeper correctly concluded, still chuckling. "And, finally Jay Walker makes a good decision!"

Jay recoiled. "What do you-"

"Lydia may seem strong, but she really is so fragile on the inside," the Bone Keeper explained. "When she learns that her entire life and afterlife has been building up to meeting such a sorry excuse for a ninja, let alone a _son_ , it might just shatter her."

Jay knew he should say something, defend himself, argue that Lydia would be _proud_ to have a son like him.

But, he didn't. He released the Bone Keeper and took a step backward, keeping his gaze trained on the ground.

The Bone Keeper didn't seem surprised. Even if Jay wouldn't look up, he could hear the smirk in the Bone Keeper's voice as he straightened his suit. "Now, for the vehicle you requested…"

* * *

Cole woke up slowly. The surroundings were unfamiliar, and it took him a few minutes to remember where he was.

"Cole?"

Cole sat up and looked at… _Zane_ \- that was it, he had remembered, it didn't really count if you only forgot it for a second so he remembered- sat up and looked at Zane. The blue one- _Jay_ , he corrected himself- was nowhere to be seen.

"How are you feeling?"

Feeling? He couldn't feel anything. Every sensation was numb and muted, even his own thoughts were quiet and muddy in his head, his own memories were dim, like he was watching them through a grimy window…

Zane placed a hand on his shoulder but Cole had to focus intently on his own solidity just to register the pressure there. "Don't worry. We'll leave soon and meet up with Kai and Lloyd and…"

It was a test. The white one- Zane- was testing him. Who had he forgotten to mention? The red one, the green one… wait, wasn't there a girl? Yes, he was almost positive there was a girl…

"Nya," he whispered, shutting his eyes. "Kai and Lloyd and Nya."

Zane smiled. "Yes. We'll meet Kai and Lloyd and Nya at the Lost Soul camp soon. We'll meet your mother there."

Cole looked up. "My mom." He grabbed Zane's wrist and tried to squeeze but he couldn't really tell if he did or not. "I want my mom."

"We will see her very soon." Zane reassured.

Suddenly the door to their hotel room opened, and the blue one- the blue one- the blue- _Jay_ , Jay, Jay- rushed inside.

"Guys, you won't believe what I heard!" He exclaimed excitedly, bouncing up and down in place. "You know how the bad guys captured Morro?! And, they were going to make him tell them where the Yin Blade was by taking his Soul Stone?! Well, Morro didn't have it in him! He hid it! That means we still have a chance to get to the Blade first!"

"That's fantastic!" Zane cheered.

Cole concluded that this was a good thing, but he was feeling a little overwhelmed by all the information the blue one had just related to them. Who was Morro again? He must be good if he was captured by bad guys. He remembered his Soul Stone was the little gem inside him, but the Yin Blade? What in the world was that?

"And, what about your idea?" The white one asked.

"Well, first of all, I told the Bone Keeper that he can only share information with us, so we don't have to worry about the bad guys coming back to figure out where Morro's Soul Stone is now," the blue one replied, pride apparent in his voice for having thought of this. " _And_ , he did have a super fast, awesome vehicle just like I thought!"

The Bone Keeper? Cole didn't like him. He couldn't remember what he looked like or his voice, but Cole knew he didn't like him.

"C'mon, come look at it!" The blue one called excitedly, gesturing for them to follow. "It's _so_ cool!"

"Ready, Cole?" The white one asked.

Though he was a tad distrustful, Cole nodded regardless and followed them out.

The thing the blue one was so excited about was a huge _tank_ , pitch black in color with red spikes adorning its outside. The barrels of guns were attached to every available surface on its roof, and its many, many huge wheels on either side had tank treads winding about the outside.

"It's got laser cannons, rocket boosters, all-terrain capabilities, autopilot, GPS, _cupholders_!" The blue one described, hugging the machine as if it were a person. "It's _perfect_. Though I'm bummed about leaving behind the classic…"

Cole didn't want to get inside since it was really scary, but the white and blue ones assured him that it was totally safe- that he would be safer inside- so he got inside. He saw them looking kind of sad at each other once he got inside but he didn't know why.

The blue one drove the big machine, and Cole laughed because he was so, _so_ excited about it. He sat near the front so he could look out the big windshield and watch the outside pass. He liked watching it pass, but it seemed like he kept missing pieces of it- like he kept falling asleep and waking up but he couldn't tell when he was asleep and when he was awake, but he supposed it didn't really make much of a difference.

They told him a long time had passed whenever the blue one finally stopped the tank, but it hadn't felt like very long. The sun was in the middle of the sky and he liked looking at the way it shined on the green leaves of the trees.

"Cole."

They were in a forest, and he reached out to touch one of the trees. He was sad when he remembered he couldn't really feel it. He wished he remembered what bark felt like, or what the sunshine felt like. He thought it was supposed to be hot, but he couldn't be sure.

"Cole!"

He turned around. There was the blue one and the white one, staring at him. He kept turning around, searching for the person they were calling for. When he saw no one else, he looked back at the blue one and the white one and cocked his head in confusion.

"Who's Cole?"

* * *

 ***GASP***

 **...That's all I have to say on the matter XD**

 **Update will *most likely* be next Saturday! Thank you everyone for reading!**


	11. Reinforcements

**Surprise! I managed to update today! I turned in my last project yesterday, and now I only have four tests left to take until the end of the semester! I'M SO EXCITED!**

 **Special thanks to ILoveCheetos, evelinaonline, WindNinja333, ABCSKW123-IX, LeUltimateNerd, Crystal Cea, StoriesAreMagic, RobinLost, Drawkill Vear, Plumcicle, TheYellowNinja, Star, SerpentineKing, SweetHeart114, Peanut2196, xxXTheySayI'mEvilXxx, and PrairieSkies for reviewing!**

 **And, a special thanks and apology to Masterofrecyclin who reviewed chapter nine and whom I FORGOT to mention! I'm so sorry! If I ever forget to mention you, please don't hesitate to let me know!**

 **Masterofrecyclin: Ooh, very interesting theory! I'm so glad I'm known for plot twists! Thank you so much for reviewing and I'm SO SORRY I forgot to thank you last chapter!**

 **Plumcicle: Haha, well surprise! We will deal with Cole this chapter! I hope you like it! Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **TheYellowNinja: OH MY GOSH WE HAVE THE SAME BIRTHDAY! :O :O :O I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT! THAT'S SO AWESOME! I actually meant to mention it last chapter, but I totally forgot! XD We'll see Cole this chapter :'( Thank you so much for reviewing, birthday buddy ;D**

 **Star: The Bone Keeper's a real jerk :/ And, poor Cole :'( Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **SerpentineKing: "Literally speechless?!" You are way too kind! This may be me sounding like a noob, but what does AE stand for? XD I hope you like this chapter just as much! Thank you soooo much for reviewing!**

* * *

Jay's heart stopped.

There was Cole, looking back at them with such innocent puzzlement, and it was like he was in that bed all over again, thinking he killed Cole only to see his brother appear right before him. And, then all the hope that had risen in his heart was immediately crushed when he heard his brother say those two simple words.

" _Who's Cole?"_

Jay was frozen, but Zane was there, taking Cole by the hand and leading him toward the Lost Soul camp as if _nothing was wrong when everything was clearly very, very wrong_.

"You are Cole," Zane replied simply, jerking his head at Jay when they passed him. Jay followed them robotically. His limbs felt like they were made of wood, and it took all of his effort to move them forward one step at a time instead of running off and punching something and screaming his lungs out because… because…

It just wasn't… _fair_.

"I am?" Cole asked him as they picked their way through the trees. "I don't think so."

"You are Cole," Jay insisted, as if saying it enough times would jog Cole's memory and stop this entire nightmare in its tracks. "I'm Jay, and that's Zane. We're your brothers, remember? Remember, Cole?"

The ghost blinked at him, his eyes reassuming the wide-eyed, morose quality they'd had last time Cole lost his memories and Jay hated it.

"No…," he said after a moment. He looked down, beginning to drag his feet. "I can't remember anything. If I was Cole, and you were my brothers, then I would remember, but I don't. I must have been forgotten-"

Jay suddenly whipped in front of Cole, grabbing his shoulders. "You weren't forgotten. You could _never_ be forgotten. You _are_ Cole. You are."

Cole was leaning away from him, hunching his shoulders and ducking his head like, like, like he was _scared_. "I don't- I don't know. I don't remember, I don't _remember_ , I don't-"

"It's okay," Zane said softly, placing his hand in the center of Jay's chest and gently pushing him back. Jay obediently released him and stepped backward. He looked away when he felt tears pushing at his eyes, thinking that would only scare Cole more. "We're going to help you remember, Cole, because we love you very much."

Cole looked back and forth between Zane and Jay suspiciously for a moment before saying quietly, "Okay…"

Once they made it to the collection of tents, they headed directly for the largest one in the center. They figured they must have beaten Kai, Lloyd, and Nya back as they didn't see their siblings or their vehicle anywhere. Several ghosts openly stared at them as they passed through the tents, but no one approached them.

They entered the tent to see Lydia and Corrine talking while Gem colored on the floor nearby.

Corrine gasped when they appeared, standing up with a huge grin on her face. She opened her arms, stepping toward Cole-

Cole's eyes widened, and he took a step backward.

Jay's heart broke when he saw the horrified confusion on Corrine's face.

"Who is she?" Cole whispered to Zane, moving slightly behind the nindroid as if Corrine wouldn't see him that way.

"She is your mother, Cole," Zane explained, sadness permeating his voice.

"Mother?" Cole repeated, as if testing the word, gazing at Corrine warily and still unwilling to move out from his spot behind Zane. "Mother."

"What…?" Corrine whispered, her voice barely audible. "What is the meaning of this? Why doesn't my baby know me? Why…?"

Lydia stood, placing her arm around Corrine's shoulder to provide physical reassurance. Jay swallowed, suddenly positive that he could never, ever reveal to Lydia that he was her biological son, because he had let this happen. How could he call himself Cole's brother when he had let this happen?

"Cole is… fading," Zane said solemnly. "Before he only seemed tired and confused, but now… It's manifested itself in the form of amnesia. We don't know why, and we don't know how to fix it. We were hoping someone here would."

Gem was standing now too, but for all her brattiness even she seemed to sense it was not the time for a snarky comment. She was looking up at Corrine with worry, and Lydia was rubbing her back. Corrine appeared to be too shocked, too miserable, too hopeless to react.

"I'm sorry," Jay said, simply because he didn't know what else to say. "I'm… I'm sorry."

Lydia shook her head. "No, Jay, this wasn't your fault. Ghosts fade for a ton of different reasons. There was nothing you could have done." Turning to Corrine, she said, "We can figure out what's causing this. I know we can, Corrine, so don't-"

Corrine suddenly stepped forward. Where it seemed like she would cry before, her face was suddenly the epitome of determination.

"Cole?" She asked. The ghost jumped, as if he had hoped everyone would forget his presence. "Can I come closer?"

Cole glanced at Zane warily. When the nindroid nodded to show it was okay, Cole nodded at Corrine, though his eyes were still wide with fear.

The blonde ghost stepped closer and closer until she was directly in front of Cole, and Zane discreetly sidled out of the way.

"Cole." Gently, she raised her hands and placed them on either side of his face. Cole looked down at her uncomprehendingly. "I love you so much. I was never there for you before, but I'm here now. I swear I'll do anything and everything to save you, okay, baby?"

Cole blinked at her.

Then slowly, he placed his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. "Mother," he whispered, squeezing her even tighter. "Mom."

* * *

"No, no, no, just hear me out!" Lloyd insisted to Kai from where they sat across from each other in the breakfast nook. "Morro and the bad guys do agree to use the Yin Blade on themselves, but Gem messes it up by calling us, assuming that Morro has gone missing. To keep us from ruining the plan, they make up this whole story about Morro having stolen the Yin Blade, when really they have it with them the whole time. Now, they're all together again and they just have to bide their time until the eclipse."

Kai rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "I don't know, Lloyd. Sounds pretty farfetched to me. I mean, that's a lot of planning and stuff. Everything would have to be, like, a hundred percent perfect."

"And, normally I would say that the bad guys wouldn't be able to organize something like this, but Morro _knows_ us, knows… me. He'd know exactly what to do throw us off: lead us on a chase, make a big show of being taken prisoner and giving us his Soul Stone to earn our trust, give us a random clue to distract us..."

Nya chuckled from from the driver's seat, shielding her eyes from the setting sun shining directly through the windshield.

"Something funny, sis?" Kai asked, thankful to be diverted from Lloyd's suspicious ramblings.

"I was just thinking about the clue," she replied, slowing down the RV as they approached the forest of trees that concealed the Lost Soul camp. "When I think about the person that would trust Morro the least, the first person that comes to mind is... well, you, Lloyd."

Lloyd smirked, rubbing the back of his neck and sighing. "I guess I am coming off like a conspiracy theorist over here. Just trying to keep all our options open."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," Kai said quickly, grabbing Lloyd's sleeve. "Nya, say what you just said again."

"The person that trusts Morro the least is Lloyd?" She repeated as she put the RV in park.

"That's it!" Kai exclaimed, shooting up into a standing position.

Lloyd frowned at Kai. "I don't have the Yin Blade, Kai."

"Well, _duh_. Lloyd doesn't trust Morro because Morro did something awful to him." Kai made a circular motion with his arms, trying to get the ball rolling for his less enlightened teammates. "Who _else_ would hate Morro because of what he did to _Lloyd_?"

Kai seemed too excited to wait for an answer, because almost immediately he threw his arms up triumphantly.

"Garmadon!"

Lloyd's face went slack. "My dad? You think Morro gave the Yin Blade to my dad?"

"It makes sense," Nya said slowly. Kai was already smirking with pride. "Morro knows Garmadon is one of the few ghosts who wouldn't use the Yin Blade on himself. He knows Garmadon is powerful enough to protect it, for a short time at least. And, like Kai said, the clue fits. I can't imagine he'd be very fond of Morro after everything he did to you, Lloyd."

Lloyd was silent a moment longer before a grin spread across his face. "Kai, I think for the first time in your life, you may just be right!"

"Well, thank- wait, what do you mean first time in my life?"

"C'mon, we have to go tell the others!" Lloyd shouted, rushing out of the RV- then starting when he came face to face with sleek black and red _tank_ that was hidden as well as it could be in the trees.

"Now, that's what I'm talking about!" Kai complimented as he also stepped out of the RV.

"Well, it's not being used to attack, so I'm guessing it's one of ours," Nya concluded, already walking toward the camp. "Let's go see if the others are back yet."

The three ninja hurried toward the camp with a certain bounce in their step. Because, finally things seemed to be going their way: they had Morro's Soul Stone to protect the Yin Blade _and_ they now had an entirely plausible lead to it. Barely able to contain their excitement, they called out a greeting when they spotted Jay and Zane speaking in low tones to Lydia and Corrine near the center of the camp.

"Guys, you won't believe-"

Kai cut himself off when he saw the expressions on his brothers' faces.

"What? What is it?" When Jay and Zane didn't immediately respond, Kai took a meaningful step forward, his tone harsh. "What's wrong?"

* * *

Kai, Nya, and Lloyd stepped into the main tent, needing to see it to believe it.

"Why are we drawing these again?" Cole asked Gem from where he was sitting cross legged on the floor, yellow crayon in hand and a barely started drawing in front of him.

"We're making a bunch of cards to give Morro when he gets back so when he sees them he feels really guilty for leaving and won't ever leave me again," Gem explained without looking up from where she was finishing shading the background of her own drawing.

"Oh, okay," Cole said, pressing his crayon to the page… before picking it back up again. "Wait, what am I supposed to draw?"

"I told you, just copy that one!" Gem replied, pointing at an already finished drawing laying on the floor near Cole.

"Oh, right," Cole answered, studying the reference intensely before moving to begin his own work.

Kai took a step forward.

"Don't scare him," Corrine warned in a whisper from where she, Lydia, Jay, and Zane had gathered near the entrance of the tent. "It's not his fault."

Kai nodded before kneeling beside his ghostly brother who still didn't seem to notice his presence.

"Hey, Cole," he said softly before reaching out to touch him on the shoulder.

Cole jumped the second Kai's hand made contact with his skin, finally registering his presence. Scooting away from the red ninja ever so slightly, Cole whispered to Gem, "Which one's this?"

"That's the kind of stupid one with a witch for a sister," Gem answered offhandedly.

"Gem!" Nya hissed. The little girl ghost only stuck her tongue out in response.

"Oh," Cole replied, obviously confused.

"What's my name?" Kai asked him.

Cole studied him for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't know."

"What's your name?"

Cole looked down, rolling the yellow crayon between his fingers. "I don't know."

"Do you know where you are?"

Cole furrowed his brow. "Here."

"Where do you live?"

"I don't live. I'm a ghost." Cole sighed sadly, curling up and retreating into himself as was his go-to response. "And, it's even worse because I was forgotten."

Kai stood up without warning, turning on his heel and stomping out of the tent.

"Kai-" Nya called after him.

"I didn't mean to upset him," Cole insisted. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"It's okay," Gem said, holding up a green crayon. "Color. It's fun."

Despite already having a crayon, Cole's face lit up at the offer. He reverently accepted the green crayon, going to press it to the page… and stopped. "Wait, what am I supposed to draw?"

The other ninja joined Kai where he was pacing in front of the entrance to the tent.

Jay approached him. "Kai, we're trying to-"

The red ninja shoved him hard in the chest. "Why didn't you tell us?" He demanded. "You should have called us. You should have _done_ something!"

"You think I don't know that?" Jay snapped, pushing Kai back. "I watched him fade away right before my eyes, and I didn't do a single thing to help him, Kai, so I don't need you to tell me-"

"Guys, stop it," Nya ordered, pushing on her brother's and her boyfriend's chests to separate them. "Fighting is not going to help Cole."

"What will?" Kai demanded. "Oh, wait, we have no clue!"

"Settle down, boys," Lydia said in true "mom" fashion as she and Corrine joined them, and Jay felt a pang in his chest. "The first thing we need to do is figure out why Cole is fading. Most commonly, ghosts fade because people forget them, but obviously that's not the case." She tapped her chin, thinking. "It could be something to do with the circumstances of his death. Was it violent? Something unresolved perhaps?"

Lloyd scratched his head and said, "Well, Cole never actually died."

Lydia blinked. "You do realize he's a ghost, right?"

"Yeah, but he didn't _die_ die. He was, like, cursed or something. He didn't escape Sensei Yang's temple in time, and he got turned into a ghost." Lloyd explained.

Lydia gasped. "Sensei Yang?!"

The ninja's eyebrows shot up. "You know him?" Jay asked.

"Yeah, everyone knows him! The master without a student?" Lydia's eyes widened. "If Cole was turned into a ghost by Sensei Yang's curse, then… Yang still has power over him."

Nya held up her hands. "Wait, are you saying that… Yang is causing Cole to fade away?"

Lydia nodded rapidly. "He would have the power to do that."

"Well, how do we stop it?" Kai asked.

Lydia glanced warily at Corrine who was holding her breath as she waited for the answer. "That's the thing; only Yang can stop it. There's nothing we can do."

"Or, we go and _tell_ him to stop it," Kai said threateningly.

"Kai, we can't just…," Lloyd faltered when the red ninja turned his murderous expression on the Green Ninja but continued regardless. "We can't just abandon the mission."

Jay gaped, "But, Cole-"

"We have three days until the eclipse, and the Yin Blade is still out there," Lloyd explained apologetically.

"There is a solution to both problems," Zane said, speaking up for the first time. "We use the Yin Blade on Cole. Sensei Yang would have no hold over him if he were human."

Kai, Lloyd, and Nya shared wide-eyed looks with each other, the thought obviously having never occurred to them.

"We know how badly he wants to be human again…," Nya pointed out thoughtfully before shaking her head. "But, it's risky."

"Cole deserves to be human again," Corrine stated firmly. "He deserves to be alive."

"I know he does, but…," Lloyd sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. "I know he does."

Corrine, detecting the weakness in his defenses, pushed ahead. "You have to-"

Suddenly, there was a commotion, a dull roar of voices rising in unison as the various Lost Souls milling about the camp simultaneously looked up and rushed to ogle something entering the camp.

Placing the debate on the shelf for now, the ninja rushed over to see what all the hubbub was about. "You think it's an attack? They found us?" Lloyd asked as they jogged.

"The Lost Souls do not appear to be scared," Zane observed.

"Maybe it's-" Jay interrupted himself with a gasp. "Lloyd, _look_!"

The ninja had finally pushed themselves to the front of the crowd-

And came face to face with Garmadon with a large duffel bag slung over his shoulder, picking his way out of the trees.

"I'm too old to be doing all this gallivanting about the Departed Realm," he grumbled to himself, straightening his robes before looking up. "Excuse me, do any of you know where-"

He got the answer to his question when a ball of green barrelled into his chest, almost knocking him clear off his feet.

Garmadon chuckled as he hugged Lloyd back, resting his weathered hand on the back of Lloyd's head. "I missed you too, son."

"Sorry," Lloyd said when he finally pulled away, hurriedly rubbing his sleeve over his face. "Sorry, I just- you know-"

Garmadon just smiled fondly at Lloyd's embarrassed stuttering, waiting.

"Do you- Well, this might be a really weird question, but do you have the Yin Blade?" Lloyd asked to change the subject so he might compose himself and not bawl like a baby in front of all the Lost Souls. (Especially since it might get back to Morro and then he'd never hear the end of it.)

Garmadon smiled, squeezing Lloyd's shoulder. "Yes." He half-turned to nod back toward the way from which he came. "I also brought some reinforcements."

The ninja froze again when they heard a yelp- a very _familiar_ yelp- and Garmadon groaned in exasperation.

"Dr. Julien, that must be the twelfth time you've tripped between here and the car."

"Well, not all of us can be masters of Spinjitzu, now can we, Garmadon?" Dr. Julien called back teasingly as he emerged from the treeline. "Oh, hello, Lloyd! So good to see you again, though I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Uh, hi," Lloyd greeted distractedly as he turned to glance at Zane who seemed to have shut down where he was, he was standing so still.

Following his line of sight, Dr. Julien's face immediately lit up with joy, and he rushed over to his son. "Zane! My, so many upgrades! Really, we must discuss your whole new design whenever we have a moment; it really is remarkable. I trust Jay and Nya are keeping up with your virus protection scans? Oh, what am I saying? First, I want to hear about everything I've missed! And, what's this Garmadon's been telling me about this P.I.X.A.L. character?"

Dr. Julien, now right in front of Zane, slowed down his questioning when he realized the nindroid had yet to move or react in any way.

Smiling gently, he touched Zane's arm. "It's alright now, Zane."

And, _then_ Zane crushed his father in his embrace, shaking so badly he might have been short circuiting.

Zane was amazed that Dr. Julien seemed to know exactly what he needed to hear. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and tried to stop his shaking as his father, hugging him just as tightly in response, said again, "It's alright now."

* * *

 **Shout outs to: Breeze015, RandomDragon2.0, Crystal Cea, WindNinja333, Star, and LeUltimateNerd for correctly guessing that Morro gave the Yin Blade to Garmadon!**

 **And half shout outs to: TheYellowNinja, ILoveCheetos, Sweetheart114, Peanut2196, StoriesAreMagic, and ABCSKW123-IX for, against their better judgments, saying Lloyd XD**

 **On another note: With regards to Five Times, there was a vote held in the last chapter of Lloyd's Five Times for whose to write next. Zane did end up winning the vote... BUT with writing Broken Circle, I've really had Morro on the brain! I've been hit with crazy inspiration for his Five Times and have written a bit of it whenever I had the time!**

 **Let me know if you guys would be interested in reading "Five Times Morro Trusted Master Wu!" I have my final exams next week, and after that I *hope* to post Mondays and Thursdays! (And regularly update Broken Circle on Wednesdays and Saturdays) unless I just *really* get behind on writing, which I doubt with it being summer :D**

 **Anyway, thank you to everyone who bothered reading this entire author's note XD**


	12. Either Way, I Lose

**I know I'm a bit early for the Saturday update, but I've got to study so much this weekend, I need to go ahead and get his out here :/**

 **Special thanks to RobinLost, Drawkill Vear, ILoveCheetos, iNeedCoffiee, RandomDragon2.0, Crystal Cea, WindNinja333, ABCSKW123-IX, LeUltimateNerd, KyraPlays, Guest, Star, TheYellowNinja, TheySayImEvil, Peanut2196, and PraireSkies for reviewing! You guys are awesome!**

 **Guest: Awesome! Look at the ending author's note for a word on updates! :D I'm SO excited about posting it! Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **Star: I love family reunions :3 I'm so glad you're excited for Morro's Five Times, since I have LOVED writing it! Thank you so much!**

 **TheYellowNinja: Yes! 4/22! Or, in other words, the best day of the year XD (Especially since some people headcannon that that's Cole's birthday since it's Earth Day XD) I am so excited about writing more Five Times, especially since I'm almost done with school :D It makes me so happy that you are so excited for my stories, since I love sharing them with people! You deserve that half shout out ;D Happy birthday and thank you for reviewing! :D**

 **TheySayImEvil: Haha, sorry for making your mood change so suddenly XD "Perfection?!" You are way too kind! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

 _Morro smirked when the little cottage came into view. It was small and white and nice, and where it was situated on an isolated mountainside gave it a breathtaking backdrop. He thought he might have liked to live someplace like it someday, maybe when all his Lost Souls had moved on and it was just him and Gem- and Corrine, if she wanted to come- but quickly decided he would get bored of it all too soon._

 _Shaking himself out of his musings, he crept toward the back door. Not that he was necessarily trying to be sneaky, but it probably would have been_ more _suspicious if he knocked._

 _The back door led into a yellow kitchen, which was narrow and perfect for one. All the lights were off in the house, but surely-_

 _He stiffened when he felt the tip of the Dark Dagger touch his back._

" _You have twenty seconds to tell me exactly what you're doing here," Garmadon said from behind him, his voice low and clearly conveying a threat._

 _Morro slowly raised his hands to show he was unarmed. "C'mon, Garmadon, there's no need for all this hostility-"_

" _Ten seconds."_

 _Morro sighed. "I need a favor."_

" _Why in the world would I do you a favor?" The Dark Dagger bit deeper into his spine. "You tormented Lloyd, tried to destroy Ninjago. Whatever you've got yourself mixed up in, I want no part of it."_

" _I guess news hasn't gotten around yet," Morro muttered to himself. Then to Garmadon, "Look, just hear me out. If I pinky promise not to attack you, can we put the knife away? My arms are getting tired."_

 _Garmadon kept the pressure against his back for a moment as a warning before withdrawing the Dark Dagger. Morro sighed in relief and turned around, removing the duffel bag he had strapped over his shoulder and setting it down on the kitchen table. Unzipping it, he showed the contents to Garmadon._

" _It's the Yin Blade," Morro explained, very deliberately removing the sacred weapon from its canvas prison so he wouldn't startle Garmadon into attacking him. "It can bring ghosts back to life on the night of the Yin Yang Eclipse- Day of the Departed. The ninja's worst enemies- Samukai, Kozu, Cryptor, and Chen- want to use it. I need you to protect it."_

 _Garmadon arched an eyebrow, now mildly intrigued. "I've heard of it." He glanced at Morro distrustfully. "So, you expect me to believe that all of the ninja's worst enemies want to use it except you?"_

" _They offered. I… respectfully declined," Morro smirked, gesturing at the Yin Blade on the table. "Didn't you hear, Garmadon? I'm good now. Turned over a new leaf. I needed this to fulfill my one hundred hours of community service so I can officially graduate to 'Redeemed Bad Guy.' You know how it is."_

 _Garmadon was unamused. "Ah, I seem to recall hearing something about your 'Home for Wayward Ghosts.' I didn't believe it at the time."_

 _Morro muttered something._

" _Come again?"_

" _I said, Lost Souls," Morro said more clearly, shifting uncomfortably. "It's Lost Souls, not Home for Wayward Ghosts. That's stupid."_

 _Garmadon coughed to cover up his amused smirk. "Well, my mistake. So, if I agree to protect the Yin Blade, what exactly will you be doing?"_

 _Morro grinned, any embarrassment from before gone. "That's the beauty of it. The bad guys still think I have it. I lead them on a wild goose chase, and by the time they realize I'm just the decoy, the eclipse has already passed."_

 _Garmadon frowned. "The entire Departed Realm will be after you."_

" _I know plenty of good hiding spots."_

" _They'll try to summon you. Trap you."_

 _Morro rolled up his sleeve to reveal the pitch black bracelet around his wrist. "Vengestone."_

" _What if they catch you?" Garmadon continued. "They'll just take your Soul Stone."_

" _I'll cut it out when the time is right," Morro replied as if it were no big deal. "It'll buy a little more time."_

 _Garmadon hesitated before saying more quietly, "They'll torture you."_

 _Morro shrugged, seemingly not concerned in the slightest about this fairly terrifying prospect. "I won't tell. No matter what they do to me, I swear I won't tell them where it is."_

 _Garmadon appraised him solemnly. "I believe you."_

" _There's a map to the Lost Soul camp in the bag if you need some reinforcements." Morro studied the Yin Blade a moment longer before moving past Garmadon toward the door. "Any more questions? I threw them off the trail for now, but it's only a matter of time."_

" _Just one," Garmadon announced, and Morro obediently came to a stop with one hand on the door handle. "Why?"_

 _Morro smirked, knowing exactly what Garmadon meant by the question. "Same reason you did. Have someone I want to be good for." He shrugged. "Besides, I earned somebody's forgiveness a little while ago, and I want to make good on it, you know?"_

 _Garmadon nodded, and Morro pushed the back door open. "Good luck, Morro."_

 _Morro glanced over his shoulder. "You too."_

 _He shut the door behind him._

"I never imagined that person would be you, Lloyd," Garmadon commented, patting his son's knee. The ninja, Garmadon, Dr. Julien, Corrine, and Lydia were gathered in the main tent for privacy's sake, the Yin Blade on the floor in the center of the circle as they discussed their next move. Gem and Cole had migrated to the corner where they continued their coloring, unabashed. "I'm proud of you, son. It takes a big person to forgive something like that."

"Yeah…," Lloyd mumbled, averting his eyes as if ashamed to admit that he had suspected Morro was still evil the entire time (and part of him still did.)

"But, why now?" Nya asked, brow furrowed. "Why stay in hiding all this time only to come now?"

"Once we heard that you had taken the Bone Keeper's Soul Stone- yes, news travels fast in the Departed Realm- we realized our enemies had no way of finding this place. Therefore, it is just as safe as any- more so with the ninja here to protect it." Garmadon smiled. "You all should be very proud of yourselves. Now that we have the Yin Blade, Morro's and the Bone Keeper's Soul Stones, and a hidden location, all the loose ends have been tied up. There's nothing to do but wait three days until the eclipse passes."

"Not all the loose ends," Zane said. "You see, Cole has been fading away. We were considering… using the Yin Blade to return his mortality and save him from disappearing completely."

Garmadon glanced at Cole over his shoulder, staring intently at his drawing. Sighing, he turned back to the center of the group. "I'm sorry, kids, but that's out of the question."

The ninja balked. Lloyd said, "Dad…"

"The Yin Blade works by opening a rift between the Departed Realm and the Mortal Realm. It is entirely unstable and uncontrollable, and thus it would be almost impossible to hide or protect. There is too much of a chance that our enemies could sneak past our defenses and return to Ninjago."

"But, Cole will die," Corrine insisted, anger turning her voice hard. "Does that not mean anything to you?"

Garmadon met her gaze calmly. "I care for all the ninja, but I cannot justify risking all of Ninjago for one person. I'm sorry."

"You would do it for _your_ son." Corrine snapped.

Garmadon paused, glancing at Lloyd before responding. "I… cannot say exactly what I would do in that situation. If I chose to save Lloyd, it would be wrong."

"Wrong?" Corrine repeated, standing up. "Loving your child is wrong?"

"Corrine…," Lydia said, trying to calm her friend.

Without waiting for a response, Corrine stomped out of the tent.

Cole looked up as soon as she passed through the tent flap. "Mom…"

"She'll be okay," Gem said. "You can draw something for her if you want."

Cole nodded. "Okay."

"I don't mean to say we give up on Cole altogether," Garmadon explained. "But, what you suggest is simply impossible."

The ninja shared a look, wordlessly agreeing to return to the subject later.

"What about Morro?" Kai asked hesitantly. "Are they really… torturing him?"

Garmadon levelled a serious look at the red ninja. "Morro is their only lead, and they do not have his Soul Stone. How else will they extract information from him?"

Kai looked pale but determined. "Then, we have to save him."

But, Garmadon was already shaking his head. "Morro won't give up our location. There is no need to take such a large risk."

"It's not about the location," Jay spoke up hesitantly, though he wouldn't meet the imposing sensei's eyes. "Morro's our friend, and he's done so much…"

"You'd better save him!" Gem yelled, her voice achieving a startlingly shrill octave that made all of them wince. She marched directly into the center of the group, her arms crossed and her cheeks puffed out. "I started this whole thing so you could save Morro. You keep putting it off and putting it off because something 'more important' always comes along. Well, enough is enough. Morro, my big brother, is being _tortured_. _Tortured_! And, if you don't lift a finger to help him, then how can you really call yourselves good guys?"

There was a beat of silence.

Lloyd stood up. "I'm sorry, Dad." He smiled down at Gem. "We're the good guys."

The other ninja stood up to show their solidarity in the matter.

Garmadon sighed. "I don't approve, but I know I can't stop you either."

"They'll be keeping him in City Hall," Lydia said excitedly, standing as well. "It's like their headquarters. It's also heavily guarded though." Then, as if remembering, she jumped and looked apologetically at Garmadon. "Sorry, Garmadon, but I really care about Morro. It's really nice to see you again after all these years though! I guess the whole 'being evil' thing worked out, huh?"

Garmadon chuckled. "Yes."

"We'll leave first thing in the morning," Lloyd decided, pounding his fist into the palm of the other hand.

With that, the members of the meeting dispersed to get dinner or rest or reminisce.

* * *

"Here you go, Father," Zane said, handing Dr. Julien a plate he'd filled with food (more of the Departed Realm's questionable meat) before seating himself beside him. Sensing Zane needed some alone time with his father, his siblings had made themselves scarce.

"Thank you, Zane," Dr. Julien said cheerfully, eyes crinkling with the affection only a parent could give, the affection Zane had craved for such a long time. "Now, you really must tell me about everything I've missed!"

And, Zane, ever the obedient child, did just that, but he didn't get much farther in the story than the evil nindroid army before Dr. Julien was grumbling.

"How dare they take my creation and use it for such a dastardly purpose," Dr. Julien said severely, shaking his head. "This is proof that progress without conscience fails every time."

Zane hesitated. He felt a sudden urge to share all of his innermost thoughts with his father, from whom he had never hidden anything. Whereas he sometimes concealed his feelings around his siblings so he wouldn't burden them with his own troubles when they already had plenty of their own, it was as if his father had a remote forcing him to make every confession he'd ever stifled just by being _there_.

"I… would have agreed with you, Father, up until recently…," Zane trailed off, unsure if he should continue.

Dr. Julien raised a mildly concerned eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Just yesterday I was defeated by General Cryptor, and it was my failure that led to our enemies discovering Morro's location," Zane admitted, hanging his head in shame. "Any torture Morro endures is a direct consequence of my inability to protect those that cannot protect themselves. And, if our enemies eventually acquire the Yin Blade as a _result_ of that…"

Dr. Julien chuckled. Though Zane cherished the sound that had been missing from his life for so long, its presence puzzled him at the current moment.

"Zane, Zane, Zane," the old man shook his head, patting his son's shoulder. "I wish you didn't always put so much pressure on yourself. Even when you try your best- and I'm sure you did- you're going to make mistakes. Cryptor was created to be a robot, but you were created to be human."

Dr. Julien shrugged. "Humans are imperfect. And, it is the fact that you have these imperfections that makes you perfect, Zane. Do you understand?"

The nindroid tried to process this counterintuitive line of reasoning. Humans had flaws, because it would be impossible for anybody to be perfect. If Cryptor was perfect (as he claimed he was), he could never understand the worth of something imperfect, whereas Zane admired the incredible gift of life in every human he encountered.

Zane gasped as he reached the realization his father had wanted him to come to. Cryptor could not have empathy. Zane did, and that made him human- and perfect- in his father's eyes.

"I think so, Father," Zane replied, the beginnings of a tiny smile on his face.

"Good," Dr. Julien complimented, patting Zane's back reassuringly. "Cryptor will never understand, and that is what makes him inferior to you in every way. Progress without conscience always fails." He concluded, seemingly proud he could bring the conversation full circle to prove his initial claim.

Zane laughed. "Sometimes I think you are able to bend the rules of logic to your will, Father."

"Ah, that is the advantage of being a scientist!" Dr. Julien agreed, laughing as well. "And the advantage of being a father."

Zane smiled but then dropped his gaze to his hands in his lap. "I have missed you almost more than I can bear, Father."

Dr. Julien reached over and placed his hand over his son's. "And I, you, Zane. But, you have your siblings, and they love you immensely. You will be just fine until you get here."

Dr. Julien paused, then, grinning, said, "But, in the meantime, let us not waste this time we have together! I believe when I spoke to Corrine earlier, she said something about having an old chessboard lying around. Do you think you can finally beat your old man, Zane?"

Zane looked up, a smile splitting his face. "I have been practicing. I have beaten Jay every time."

Dr. Julien chuckled. "Is that so? Well then, may the best man win."

* * *

 _Morro jabbed at Master Wu with his wooden sword, but his sensei parried his blow before returning it. Morro ducked under and did a forward roll before leaping to his feet behind his teacher. He was about to attack his sensei's unprotected back when Master Wu whipped around, surprising Morro and slashing at his front. Morro barely managed to dodge the blow, doing a back handspring to create some space._

 _He knew he going to land wrong before he hit the ground._

 _He heard a sickening_ pop _in his ankle when he landed, and he immediately crumpled to the ground._

" _Morro!" Master Wu shouted, rushing over. "Are you alright?"_

" _I'm fine," Morro grumbled, supremely disappointed in himself for messing up what should have been an elementary stunt. "Let's keep going."_

 _Heedless of Morro's answer, Master Wu grabbed his ankle and inspected it. Morro grit his teeth to keep from crying out in pain as his sensei rotated his foot around the joint._

" _I'm fine, really," the ninja-in-training insisted. "Let's keep going."_

" _Morro, you've sprained your ankle," Master Wu said in admonishment._

" _If I'm going to be the Green Ninja, I've gotta work through pain. I've gotta be able to keep going," Morro explained. He pouted when Master Wu only laughed, shaking his head._

" _Perhaps, but not today. Today, you need to rest," Master Wu decided. Without warning, he lifted Morro up in his arms, carrying him toward the monastery's doors._

" _Sensei!" Morro protested, blushing. "I'm not a baby! I can walk!"_

" _Morro, you may be my only student that pushes himself harder than I do," Master Wu chuckled as he carried Morro down the hall and into the child's bedroom. He set Morro down on the bed with the order not to move-_ or else _\- and left the room. He returned shortly thereafter with ice and a cup of tea (of course) to see Morro sulking but obediently still in bed._

 _He propped Morro's ankle up on a pillow and placed the ice around it (and didn't miss the way Morro hissed in pain no matter how hard he tried to cover it up)._

" _Come now," Master Wu said when he saw Morro still had his arms crossed and refused to look at him. He placed his hand on Morro's head and smoothed down his hair. Morro didn't relent in his sulking but didn't pull away either. "You may train as long as you wish once your ankle is healed."_

 _Morro was silent a moment longer, then slowly relaxed his body though he kept his eyes trained on the bed sheets. "Do you…" He looked up at his sensei with wide (and though he would never admit it, afraid) eyes. "Do you really think I can do it?"_

 _Master Wu squeezed his shoulder, and Morro resolved to do well enough in his training so he could see the pride shining in those eyes every day of his life._

" _Yes. I really do."_

Morro was woken by a stinging slap to the face. It hurt, but he was pleased to find that the muzzle had been taken off of him for the moment.

"Wakey, wakey!" Chen called, and Morro had to bite back a groan. As far as torturers went, he disliked Chen the most. Not only could he inflict an extreme amount of pain, he also liked to play mind games, and Morro's was too exhausted at this point to play along.

"Oh, dear," Chen said mock-regretfully. "You're not healing very well at all, are you? You're all run down, and it's only been a day."

Morro looked down at himself. He was chained to a chair in the basement of City Hall. The twelve or fifteen stab wounds had almost closed up, and the burns from the water across his thighs were still fresh. He couldn't see the state his calf was in after Samukai had gouged his leg with a Dark Dagger, but he was sure it wasn't pretty. Who knew when he would be able to walk on it again.

And, these were only the most recent wounds. At first, like all ghosts, he had healed almost instantly. Now he was weak from the constant abuse, and there was no telling when the wounds would actually close.

"But, your pretty face is still intact!" Chen exclaimed, leaning close. Morro sneered, but there was no venom behind it. "Let's fix that, shall we?"

He brandished the Dark Dagger, bringing the tip within centimeters of Morro's eyeball. "We'll make it a game. I stop when you tell me where the Yin Blade is."

Morro rolled his eyes. "Either way, I lose," he said quietly, if only because he couldn't make his voice louder.

Chen grinned. "That is the best kind of game!" He pressed the Dark Dagger to Morro's cheek bone and drew the knife across, pressing deeply. Morro tried to keep from crying out, like he had all those years ago when he twisted his ankle, but he was sure some sort of strangled whimper escaped him.

Chen placed his hand on Morro's head, just like Master Wu had. "All of this can stop if you just tell us where it is."

Morro was silent.

Chen shrugged. "Have it your way."

* * *

 **Oh nooo, Morro is in trouble! Will the ninja be able to save him?!**

 **So, a tentative update schedule:**

 **Monday: I will post the first chapter of Morro's Five Times (amidst frantically panicking for my exams the next three days XD)**

 **Wednesday: No update for Broken Circle because I have an exam that day and the next day :/**

 **Thursday: My exams will be OVER so I will post the next chapter of Morro's Five Times**

 **Saturday: Update for Broken Circle, after which there will be updates every Wednesday and Saturday barring unforeseen circumstances :D**

 **Thank you everyone for reading! I love you all! :D**


	13. You'd Better Be Joking

**Hello, everyone! In case you don't read Five Times Morro Trusted Wu, I just thought I'd announce that I am FINISHED with all my exams and I'm SO HAPPY ABOUT IT! Thank you everyone for your support throughout this extremely difficult semester! :D**

 **Special thanks to KyraPlays, ABCSKW123-IX, Peanut2196, Crystal Cea, WindNinja333, RobinLost, ILoveCheetos, RandomDragon2.0, PrairieSkies, Sweetheart114, LeUltimateNerd, Star, SerpentineKing, TheYellowNinja, TheySayImEvil, FirstFandomFangirl, StoriesAreMagic, and evelinaonline for reviewing!**

 **I will be replying to reviews shortly after posting this chapter! (Unless I fall asleep by accident XD)**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **Star: Haha, you can always count on Gem to tell everyone exactly what's on her mind XD I'm glad you liked the flashbacks! I loved writing them :3 Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **SerpentineKing: Hey, no problem! There's never any pressure to review! Oooh, okay that makes sense for AE. Well, stay tuned ;D Yep, Morro's a smart cookie when he wants to be XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: It makes me so happy that you're excited for the updates! :D We'll see about Lloyd and Morro's tenuous relationship soon... ;D Zane is the purest of pure XD And, of course Cole's birthday is on Earth Day, because _duh_. XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **TheySayImEvil: Overprotective Garmadon is very scary XD I'm glad the chapter gave you so many feels! XD And, I'm also glad you liked the flashback because I loooved writing it! :D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

"You sure you're ready for this?" Kai asked. He and Lloyd were staked out on the rooftop of the building neighboring City Hall. There were two ghosts patrolling the adjacent rooftop where there was a door leading into the main building.

"Yeah, of course I am," Lloyd said irritably, anxiously glancing at the town square in front of City Hall where they had first appeared so many days ago and where the bad guys had discovered that Morro's Soul Stone was missing.

"If the others would start the stupid distraction already, then-" Kai was interrupted by the sound a missile exploding the front of City Hall. He grinned when he saw the _awesome_ black tank roll right up to the front of the villains' headquarters like it was no big deal, firing its large assortment of weapons. That was the good thing about being in a city of ghosts: they didn't have to worry about debris crushing civilians.

"Finally!" Kai groaned. "Let's go!"

The two ghosts patrolling the roof of City Hall rushed over to the side and peered down at the square, obviously panicking about the attack. Kai and Lloyd landed as silently as cats behind them and disappeared into the rooftop access door without being seen.

"You take the top floor," Lloyd whispered as they hurried down the stairwell. "I'll take the bottom one."

"Got it," Kai agreed. "Remember, radio once you find him."

The walkie talkies were a gift from Dr. Julien who had experimentally determined a frequency which could be used in the Departed Realm without interference from so many ghostly presences.

Kai barrelled through the first door they encountered while Lloyd continued on to the second.

Lloyd peeked into the first floor of the City Hall. It appeared to be a lobby of some sort, but it was mostly empty. Glancing out the huge front window, he saw Kozu and Cryptor directing their respective armies to attack the tank while it continued to blast all its available weapons. The tank was certainly formidable, but it wasn't invincible, and Lloyd knew it was only a matter of time before the warriors reduced it to rubble. Lloyd sprinted down the halls, diving into doorways and becoming invisible when a stray soldier rushed past to join the fray.

He peeked into every room, but each one was an empty office or conference room; no torture chamber in sight. Just as he was about to radio Kai to ask if he'd found Morro yet, he came across a heavy steel door with a sign that said "Do Not Enter." When he opened it, he saw more stairs leading down. Cautiously, he crept down the steps-

And gasped when he saw Morro.

The ghost was strapped to a chair, his head bowed as he slept. His body was absolutely soaked in his own ectoplasm. Open wounds decorated every available surface and what appeared to be burns filled the gaps in between. Lloyd glanced about warily, but everybody must have rushed to join the fight upstairs because he and Morro were alone.

He hurried to Morro's side. It was worse the closer he got. "Morro," he whispered, grabbing the Vengestone handcuff that chained Morro's wrist to the arm of the chair. Calling forth a small burst of energy, the chain snapped in his hand. "Morro, wake up."

"No…," Morro moaned as Lloyd broke the other handcuff, then knelt down to free his ankles. He gasped upon seeing the jagged cut that had cleaved Morro's calf open. Had he been human, they most definitely would have had to amputate. "No… Stop… Stop!"

"Morro, Morro, wake up," Lloyd whispered, shaking Morro on the most healthy part of his shoulder. "It's just me. You're okay now." It felt weird, reassuring someone he had once hated, but Lloyd wouldn't wish this torture on anyone, even his worst enemy, and his naturally gentle heart ached in empathy.

And, now, seeing everything Morro had put himself through to keep the Yin Blade out of the wrong hands, Lloyd finally realized that Morro was not his worst enemy.

Morro blinked, raising his head. Lloyd gasped again when he saw the three parallel cuts across Morro's left cheek, reminiscent of an animal's claw.

"Lloyd?" He whispered, squinting as he tried to focus on the person in front of him.

"Yeah, it's me, Morro. C'mon, we're getting you out of here," He said, grabbing Morro's arm as gently as he dared as he tried to pull him out of the seat.

"You came," Morro said in disbelief, his voice very small.

"Yeah, of course we came," Lloyd said, glancing at the door anxiously. They couldn't have much time left and moving Morro was proving to be a bigger challenge than he originally thought. "C'mon, we've got to get you out of here."

"No," Morro said, a little bit of his old self bleeding into the tone. He weakly pushed at Lloyd's wrist with his other hand to get him to let go.

"No? What do you mean no?"

"I can't walk," Morro stated, gesturing to his crippled leg. "I'm barely conscious. I'll slow you down. We'll never make it." He closed his eyes and leaned back against the chair. "Just go."

Lloyd's first inclination was to argue; but he realized Morro was right. Morro couldn't walk on his own, and carrying him would slow Lloyd down too much. But, Lloyd was a good guy. He couldn't leave Morro here, especially after seeing the extent of-

Lloyd got an idea.

A horrible, horrible, insane idea.

A horrible, horrible, insane idea that might… just… work.

Unable to believe the words were actually about to come out of his mouth, Lloyd knelt in front of Morro again, and the ghost looked down at him with unfocused eyes.

"Possess me."

Morro's eyes widened, and he looked back at Lloyd incredulously. "You'd _better_ be joking."

Lloyd frowned. "Would I joke about something like this?"

"No. Absolutely not," Morro shook his head. "Just go, Lloyd. I'm fine. I can take it."

"Morro, it's the only way I can get you out of here-"

"I said no!" Morro snapped, pushing on Lloyd's chest to get him away. With how weak he was, Lloyd didn't budge. "Go. Leave. I'm _fine_."

Lloyd reached into his gi.

And, pulled out a small, oval stone that was green with black spots.

Morro went pale with horror. "You _wouldn't_."

"Morro," Lloyd said calmly, holding the Soul Stone out in front of him. "Possess me."

Unable to refuse, Morro fell into his body-

And, suddenly it all came rushing back to Lloyd- the suffocation, the loss of control, the drowning, the drowning, the drowning- the line where his own memories ended blurred and suddenly all of Morro's pain and suffering and _fear_ \- so much fear- became Lloyd's- he saw flashes of Chen, Cryptor, Samukai, Kozu taunting him, felt the blade against his own skin, heard himself saying, "I won't tell, I won't tell, I won't tell," repeating it like a mantra in his head-

And he saw Morro, possessing him, using him, he saw Morro hurting his friends, he remembered all of Morro's hate and jealousy all over again, heard Morro telling him he didn't deserve to be the Green Ninja over and over again- and he knew one of these things was real and the other wasn't actually happening- but he couldn't tell-

"Lloyd!"

He tried to gasp for air- was he suffocating? Or drowning?- and looked up at Kai grasping his arms.

"Lloyd, what's wrong? You didn't answer your radio. Did you find Morro?"

Still breathless with panic, Lloyd nodded. _Kai, Kai was here, Kai would protect him-_ Wait, Morro was good, he was _good_ , there was nothing to protect him from.

Kai looked at Lloyd strangely. "Okay… where is he?"

Lloyd placed a hand on his chest, trying to force air back into his lungs- _he was in control, his body was still his, he was in control_. Unable to speak aloud, he patted his chest.

Kai raised an eyebrow, utterly lost.

Then he looked at the chair with the broken chains.

The Soul Stone in Lloyd's hand.

The way his baby brother was panicking but trying so, _so_ hard to keep it together.

Kai's mouth went slack with realization. "Lloyd, you _didn't_."

"I had to, Kai," he whispered, tears collecting on his eyelids. "I had to. He was hurt and-and _scared_ and we have to get him out…"

Kai sighed, grabbing Lloyd's wrist and pulling him into a standing position. "C'mon, we've gotta go. The tank's pretty much toast."

They hurried up the stairs. When they burst into the first floor hallway, a surprised Stone Warrior saw them and shouted an alarm. Cursing, Kai dragged Lloyd toward the main staircase and up the steps. Not a moment later, soldiers were swarming the stairwell, less than a floor behind them.

On the roof, Kai told Lloyd to jump first, and the Green Ninja, not so shaken as to forget all his training, easily cleared the gap between City Hall and the next building over. The red ninja followed soon after. The Stone Warriors and nindroids pursued them across the skyline but simply couldn't keep up with the lighter, more nimble ninja as bulky and heavy as they were. Once they reached the correct rooftop and there was a sufficient gap between them and their enemies, Kai and Lloyd slid down the fire escape.

The brown RV was waiting in the alleyway with Jay, Zane, and Nya inside. After setting the tank on autopilot, the three ninja had snuck away from the battle and regrouped there at the RV, though Jay bemoaned sacrificing the super cool tank to the war effort.

The second Kai and Lloyd were inside, Nya slammed on the gas, deftly driving them out of the city and eventually leaving the pursuing armies far behind.

"What happened?" Jay asked as Kai guided Lloyd to the window seat. The Green Ninja immediately sat down, his entire body consumed by tremors. "Did you not find Morro?"

"Oh, we found him alright," Kai snapped. "Make him come out now, Lloyd."

The other three ninja gaped.

"Morro is… possessing Lloyd?" Zane asked in disbelief.

"What about the… the hair, the voice? It's still Lloyd," Jay pointed out, confused.

"He's too weak," Lloyd explained, moving to lie down on the window seat.

"Make him come out," Kai repeated.

"It's okay, Kai," Lloyd said quietly, trying to convince himself it was true. "He's sleeping."

"But-"

"It's okay," Lloyd repeated, eyes falling shut with exhaustion. "It's okay."

"Let them rest, Kai," Nya said from the driver's seat. "Morro wouldn't do anything to hurt Lloyd."

Kai sighed. "I know." He patted his sleeping baby brother on the back reassuringly. "I just wish Lloyd knew that too."

* * *

" _What, you're just going to leave me here?" He asked as the Vengestone cage slammed shut. He felt feverish and borderline delirious but he could see Morro standing over him well enough._

" _I'll be back when I need you again," Morro replied offhandedly as he walked away._

" _You'll never do it!" He called, struggling to his knees and gripping the bars of the cage. "My brothers will get the Realm Crystal first and send you right back to the Cursed Realm where you belong."_

 _Morro was back in front of him in an instant, reaching through the bars of the cage and grabbing the front of his gi. "Get off your high horse, Lloyd. You're just the knock off version of me that happened to get what he wanted."_

 _He clawed at Morro's hand fisted in his gi. "Destiny chose me to be the Green Ninja for a_ reason-"

" _Ha! You think you're special? You think you're worth something?" Suddenly Morro jerked his hand forward so his head banged into the bars of the cage. He cried out in pain as he crumpled to the ground, cradling his aching head._

" _You're_ nothing _," Morro laughed as he walked away. "And that's all you're ever going to be."_

 _Then suddenly he wasn't in a cage; he was in front of Master Wu- a young Master Wu- blushing as red as a tomato and twisting his fingers into impossible knots behind his back as he waited for his sensei to open the card._

" _I know you're not-" He explained haltingly when his teacher's eyes widened upon seeing the "Happy Father's Day" written inside. "I know I'm not your- I just… wanted to make you something to say, like, thanks, and it happened to be Father's Day, but that doesn't mean that I think that-"_

 _He gasped when Master Wu hugged him. "I love it."_

 _But, when he pulled away, it wasn't Master Wu but Samukai kneeling in front of him, brandishing a Dark Dagger dripping with ectoplasm._

" _Well?" The skeleton demanded as he thrust the knife deeper into his leg, dragging it slowly, agonizingly slowly through the muscle of his calf._

 _He jerked his head back and forth. They'd put the muzzle back on him so he couldn't even scream to release some-_ any- _of the pain…_

Lloyd was already screaming when he woke up, grabbing his head to quiet down the voice yelling in his mind. "It's okay, Morro! It's okay!"

Distantly, he felt an arm around him and heard Kai saying, "Just let him out, Lloyd!"

Scrambling for the Soul Stone, willing to do anything to quiet the loud noise ringing in his ears, he said shakily, "Come out, Morro."

The ghost tumbled out of him, landing on the floor on all fours and huffing like he just ran a marathon. The ninja gasped when they saw his back. The back of his shirt was in tatters, and they could clearly see a jagged cut an inch wide spanning the entirety of his back, but it was curved almost in the shape of a letter or other-

Their eyes widened when they realized what it was. An Anacondrai. A crude imitation of the Anacondrai tattoo that Garmadon and the other cultists carried on their backs. Chen, leaving his mark on his victim.

When Morro regained his breath, he spoke in a low growl, though he remained on all fours on the ground and did not raise his head.

"I gave you my Soul Stone to protect," Morro grounded out, every syllable perfectly enunciated. "Not abuse."

"It's okay, Morro," Lloyd reassured, though he was still shaking and not quite sure he would ever stop. "I wanted you to."

" _Don't_ lie. I felt how scared you were," Morro snapped, glaring at Lloyd over his shoulder. The others gasped again when they saw the three horizontal slashes across his left cheek. "I'm not that person anymore. I don't want to make people afraid. I don't want to make you afraid…," Morro trailed off, his expression becoming like that of a lost child.

"It's a two way street. I felt what you felt too," Lloyd said quietly.

"How could you possibly think you deserve what they did to you?"

Morro stiffened, turning his face back toward the floor. "Give it back," he muttered.

"Huh?"

"I said, give it back!" He snapped, turning around and snatching the small green stone out of Lloyd's hand and immediately pressing it to his stomach.

"Wait, Morro, will you have to go into the long sleep?!" Jay asked in alarm, watching as the Soul Stone disappeared into Morro.

"No. It's not broken." Even as he said this though he slumped with exhaustion, his eyes fluttering shut. "I'll just have to… rest…"

Jay scrambled to catch Morro before he face planted, and the ghost collapsed, unconscious, against his chest.

Lloyd had already fallen back asleep, curled up on the window seat.

"Hey, are they going to be okay?" Jay asked worriedly, eyes roaming over Morro's battered body and cringing every time he spotted a new injury.

"Lloyd, yes," Zane replied, bending down to inspect Morro as well. "Morro… eventually."

"Geez, they really did a number on him," Kai commented as Jay managed to lift Morro in his arms and carry him over to the unoccupied bottom bunk. "I can't believe he didn't tell even after… even after they did all that to him."

As Nya continued driving them in dizzying circles in order to lose anybody attempting to follow them back to their base, she said wistfully, "I never thought I'd see the day when Morro's stubbornness was a good thing."

* * *

 **Me either, Nya XD**

 **So, now that I am FREE of the life-sucking, mind-numbing, soul-crushing prison known as school (totally not exaggerating XD) updates will be Wednesdays and Saturdays (unless I go on vacation or something, in which case I'll include an author's note about it :D)**

 **Reminder for if you follow Five Times Morro Trusted Wu: updates are Mondays and Thursdays :D**


	14. Um, Sorry

**Thank you, everyone, for all the love this story has gotten! I've really been enjoying finally getting a chance to write again now that school's over! :D**

 **Special thanks to: ILoveCheetos, FirstFandomFangirl, RandomDragon2.0, SerpentineKing, Plumcicle, TheYellowNinja, KyraPlays, ABCSKW123-IX, WindNinja333, LeUltimateNerd, Peanut2196, PrairieSkies, SweetHeart114, Star, and evelineonline for reviewing! You guys are so awesome!**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **SerpentineKing: Yay! We're both FREEEEE! XD I'm glad you liked the chapter! I loved writing it :D Unfortunately, I was not planning on having Pythor in the story, only because he's not in the Departed Realm :( I'm sorry! I hope you still enjoy the story! Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **Plumcicle: Yay! It was one of my favorite chapters to write, so that makes me very happy to hear! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: I'm so happy that Lloyd asking Morro to possess him shocked you! XD We'll see more about Lloyd and Morro's relationship this chapter! :D Don't worry, you'll be free too soon! XD For Morro's Five Times, I wanted to make it unrelated to Lost Soul so those who haven't read it wouldn't be confused. That being said, Morro's backstory will be left pretty ambiguous, so it could very well be the one from Lost Soul :D (I tend to imagine if that way XD) Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Star: We will see Gem's reaction this chapter, but I think you're right ;D Yay, I'm so glad you caught the fact that Morro refusing to possess Lloyd is symbolic of his growth as a character :3 Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

It was over forty minutes later when Nya finally put the RV into park and Zane gently shook Lloyd awake. The Green Ninja sat up and rubbed his eyes.

Jay reached down and touched Morro's shoulder. "Morro-"

Morro's hand shot out and grabbed Jay's wrist, twisting it and forcing the blue ninja to his knees.

"Uncle! Uncle! I give!"' Jay squealed as he tried desperately to keep his wrist from snapping.

"Morro, let go! It's alright!" Kai yelled, tugging at the vice grip the ghost had on Jay's arm.

"Oh!" Morro yelped, immediately releasing Jay upon realizing he was among friends and not in the torture chamber of City Hall. "Um, sorry."

"It's okay," Jay wheezed, cradling his nearly broken wrist.

Morro raised his eyes… and met Lloyd's gaze. The atmosphere became tense and the other ninja found themselves holding their breaths.

Morro looked down at his lap. "I…," He huffed, as if frustrated with himself for faltering. "I didn't mean to come across as ungrateful before. I wasn't really in my right mind." He paused, taking a deep breath. "Thank you for saving me."

Lloyd nodded. "You're welcome."

"Ready to go back home, Morro?" Nya asked, smiling at the ghost.

The wind master smiled faintly, gingerly swinging his legs over the side of the bunk. The ninja cringed when they saw the deformed state of his left leg, but Morro seemed determined to walk.

Just as the ghost was about to push himself into a standing position, Kai laughed. "Yeah, right." And with that, he scooped Morro up into his arms, carrying him bridal style out of the RV.

"Kai!" He growled, struggling as much as his weakened state would allow. "I'm not a baby! I can-"

Morro's mouth shut with a click, eyes widening ever so slightly as if coming to a realization.

Kai raised an eyebrow. "You can what?"

"Nothing," Morro mumbled, turning his face away.

Morro didn't complain further as they traipsed through the forest. In fact, exhaustion seemed to overtake him yet again, and he unconsciously rested his head against Kai's chest, as if lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking motion.

They finally broke free of the tree line, entering the Lost Soul camp.

The cheers were deafening.

Morro started awake, looking about in alarm as all his Lost Souls shouted in triumph, raising their arms and hugging each other.

"What are they cheering for?" He whispered to Kai.

Kai laughed. "What do you think, stupid? You!"

"But, I look pathetic."

"But, you're still here."

Morro pondered this, glancing at his followers with a perplexed look on his face.

Whenever they reached his tent, Morro pushed against Kai. "Put me down."

"Morro-"

"Just for a second."

Sighing, Kai lowered Morro to the ground though the ghost kept one arm looped around his neck to keep pressure off his injured leg.

He raised his other hand and waved at the crowd.

The cheers renewed full force, and they continued even when Morro, with help from Kai, limped into the tent, out of view.

"Ugh, I wish they'd shut up out there," Gem, whose back was turned to them, grumbled to Cole without looking up from her drawing. "We're trying to focus here."

Cole, who was facing them, brightened upon seeing the ninja.

"You came back!" He shouted, bounding to his feet and hugging Nya, who was closest. "I was afraid you'd left me."

Nya smiled sadly, hugging him back. "We'd never leave you, Cole."

When she pulled away, she saw Gem on her feet, staring at Morro with eyes as wide as dinner plates, her breath coming in short gasps.

Morro grinned at her. "Sorry I'm late."

Gem started bawling, her eyes jumping from Morro's leg to his chest to his face, taking into account every burn and cut on her big brother. "What did they do to you? I told you guys, I _told_ you to save him, but you didn't listen and now… and now…"

Morro fell to his knees in front of her. "Hey, don't cry. You know I hate it when you cry."

Gem wordlessly shook her head, reaching out a hand and hovering it over his slashed cheek. Her crying intensified.

Morro grabbed the hand and pulled her into a hug. "I'm _fine_ , Gem." He insisted, running his hand through her hair. "I just missed you, that's all."

Slowly, she wound her arms around his neck and sobbed, "I m-missed you t-too…"

Cole gasped with realization. "Hey, it's that boy from the pictures! You saved him!"

Jay grabbed his arm. "And, we're going to save you too, Cole."

"Yeah, we need to talk about that, like, _now,_ " Kai announced.

"I will help get Morro settled," Zane offered, nodding at the ghost that was visibly drooping with exhaustion. "The rest of you go, and I'll be along shortly."

Lloyd glanced warily at Morro as well. "Good idea. Let's go."

"Gem, Morro needs to rest," Nya said authoritatively.

The little girl clung to her brother even as he leaned on her heavily. "But-"

"Gem, the only way Morro's going to get better is if he sleeps," Kai said firmly to let her know there was no room for argument.

Gem pouted but obediently released Morro so Zane could transfer him the short distance to his sleeping bag. She filed out with the other ninja, though not without a worried glance over her shoulder.

Once they were alone, Zane tucked the nearby blanket around Morro and then began searching the tent for more, wanting to make the wounded ghost as comfortable as possible after all the trauma he had endured.

"Hey, Zane."

The nindroid turned to see Morro blinking sleepily at him. "Yes?"

"Does…," Morro directed his gaze to the roof of the tent. "Does Master Wu ever... talk about me?"

Zane caught his breath but thought he (mostly) managed to hide his surprise. Directing his attention back to the task at hand, he answered truthfully, "No."

"Oh." Morro said, deliberately trying to keep his voice devoid of any emotion, though Zane detected the disappointment there.

The white ninja returned to Morro's side with Gem's pink blanket and Corrine's black one in hand, and these he tucked around Morro as well.

"We care deeply for him," Zane said, continuing his previous thought. "As Master Wu does for us. But… there has always been a sort of distance between us and him. At first, I believed that Master Wu was simply a naturally stoic, reserved person."

Finished with his self-appointed duty, Zane sat back on his heels and looked at Morro who seemed enthralled by the anecdote.

"But, after we learned of your existence, I realized that that was not the case at all. I believe that he keeps at arm's length because he is afraid of having his heart broken again."

Morro blinked slowly, gaze drifting to the ceiling once again as he processed this information. He nodded, gingerly maneuvering himself so he could lie on his less injured right side, wounded back facing Zane.

The nindroid discreetly exited the tent once he heard a faint snore and went in search of the others.

* * *

"I don't know why we're still arguing about this. Half of us use the Realm Crystal and go tell Yang to leave Cole alone, the other half stays here to protect the Yin Blade," Kai explained, crossing his arms. He wasn't the only one getting impatient, what with the argument bordering on thirty minutes. "Easy."

"First we need to figure out why Yang is doing this to him," Nya countered. "What does he gain from having Cole fade away?"

"We also need to think through how we're going to get Yang to 'knock it off,'" Zane added. "We did not make it out of his temple last time unscathed. To avoid a repeat of that, we need to devise a strategy, perhaps figure out something we could trade for Cole's freedom."

"I still say we make him human again," Jay said quietly, skirting Garmadon's eyes.

The ghost in question was not present. Corrine, still holding a grudge against Garmadon, had stalked past the group discussing the matter without saying a word or deigning to join the conversation since they already knew her opinion on the matter. Cole, spotting his mother, had rushed after her like an eager puppy.

Garmadon sighed. "I'm sorry, kids. I know how much you all care for each other. If it were at all plausible, I would be all for it, but it is simply too dangerous. If any one of your enemies manages to sneak through the rift, there's no telling how many people will get hurt."

"But, Dad," Lloyd said. "They have no idea where we are. If we were to do it right here, they wouldn't be able to-"

"They can find it," Garmadon interrupted, frowning. "The rift requires a massive amount of energy. They will be able to sense it, they will be able to find us, and with their numbers, they will be able to overwhelm us in moments."

"Hey, where did Gem go?" Nya asked, looking toward the ground for the small ghost. Rolling her eyes, she turned on her heel and made to march toward the tent. "I bet she went to go bother Morro again even though we told her not to. She is _such_ a brat."

"I'll get her," Lloyd volunteered surprisingly, quickly hurrying toward Morro's tent before anybody could question his motives.

* * *

"And, this is the time we saw that huge octopus monster in the ocean," Gem explained, pointing at one of the many many drawing she had made that depicted a massive tentacle emerging from a large body of water with Gem, Morro, and Corrine nearby. She had infiltrated Morro's blanket nest and was resting her head on his chest while holding up the drawing for her brother to look at.

"Oh, yeah…," Morro said, laughing. "I remember that! That thing was _freaky_." He took the paper out of her hand, bringing it closer to his face for a moment before setting it aside with the others. "These are pretty good, Gem! Can I have them?"

"They're for you, dummy!" Gem laughed.

All of a sudden though she recalled Nya's voice telling her she was selfish (and being really mean in general), and she immediately dropped her mirthful attitude.

"Hey, Morro?" she asked hesitantly, gently draping her arm across his stomach, trying to hug him without hurting him. "Do you think I love you enough?"

"What kind of stupid question is that? Course I do," he replied automatically, squeezing her shoulders.

She smiled, and if Nya were here she would have said, " _see?_ "

But, then again… Morro always said exactly what she wanted to hear. There was no way she could expect to receive a truthful answer.

"But, I don't do anything for you," she argued.

"Hey, you drew these for me, didn't you?" Morro pointed out, waving at the stack of drawings. Gem almost smiled- until she heard herself telling Cole that they were only making these to make Morro feel guilty so he wouldn't leave her again. Not to make him happy, not to cheer him up after being captured and tortured, but to guilt him into staying with _her,_ making _her_ happy.

Morro continued, "Besides, Gem, I take care of you. That's how it works. Where is all this coming from?"

Suddenly, Lloyd pushed the tent flap aside, fixing Gem with a disapproving look. "Gem. Morro needs to _sleep._ "

"It's okay, _Mom_. She can stay," Morro joked, and Lloyd rolled his eyes.

Gem sat up. Morro would never ask her to leave no matter how tired he felt. He needed to sleep, she _knew_ he needed to sleep, and still she had come in here, wanting to make herself feel better because she had missed him. A good little sister wouldn't have taken advantage of the fact that Morro wouldn't send her away. A good little sister would want Morro to get better before everything else, which meant letting him sleep even if she was lonely.

A good little sister wouldn't be selfish.

"No, I'll go. But, not because you told me to. Because I want to," she told Lloyd as she stood and walked out of the tent.

"Hey, Gem, don't worry about what we talked about, alright?" Morro called after her. "Promise?"

She looked over her shoulder and nodded, even though she fully intended to worry about the fact that Nya… might have been _right_ about her.

She disappeared through the tent flap.

Leaving an awkward silence in her wake.

Lloyd bit his lip before beginning hesitantly. "Listen, Morro, I'm… sorry about the whole forcing you to possess me thing. But, it means a lot to me that you didn't, you know… take advantage of it. Try to control me or anything," he finished nervously.

Morro closed his eyes. "Not enough."

"What? What's not enough?"

The ghost sat up with a pained grunt so he could fix Lloyd with a hard stare. "I heard you. This whole time- this _whole_ time- you thought I was still evil. You thought I was not only working with them but was the _mastermind_ behind it."

Lloyd winced, looking down in shame. He knew there was no point in denying it, as Morro would have been able to share his thoughts and feelings during his brief possession.

But, he was ashamed because Morro didn't sound angry. He sounded _hurt_.

Morro shrugged helplessly. "It just made me realize that it's not enough. It doesn't matter how many Lost Souls I help, it doesn't matter how much I get tortured, it doesn't matter how hard I try," He listed unflinchingly. "It doesn't change what I did, it doesn't change who I am, it doesn't change… who I hurt," he finished, dropping his gaze. Lloyd scrambled desperately for something to say but came up empty. "It's not enough."

Lloyd shook his head, daring to step closer. "Morro. You don't deserve what they did to you."

Morro looked up at Lloyd, as if gauging his truthfulness. Apparently dissatisfied with what he found, he looked down again and said, "I deserve worse."

Lloyd opened his mouth to argue-

And was knocked off his feet by an explosion that shook the entire earth.

"What was that?!" Morro yelled, struggling to his knees even as his injured body screamed in protest. "Lloyd, get up!"

The Green Ninja, trying to gather his bearings, crawled toward the tent flap and peeked outside.

"Oh no," he whispered.

"What is it?!" Morro snapped, trying to push himself to his feet and failing when his wounded leg buckled.

"C'mon, we've gotta go," Lloyd said breathlessly, appearing by Morro's side and easily lifting the ghost in his arms.

" _What is happening_?" Morro demanded, pounding Lloyd's chest as the Green Ninja carried him toward the entrance to the tent.

Lloyd briefly met Morro's eyes before returning his attention to the task at hand.

"They found us."

* * *

 **Oh NO! Lloyd has Morro, but where are the others?! How did the bad guys find them?! So many questions... XD**

 **I hope you guys liked it! Next update is Saturday :D**


	15. There You Are!

**I have to say, guys, I've always more or less had the plot to Broken Circle in my head, but now that I'm on summer vacation and finally have the chance to finish writing it... I'M LOVING EVERY SECOND OF IT! I love sharing this story with you guys, and you'll never know how much every review, alert, favorite, or even just view means to me :D Thank you all! :D**

 **As is becoming the pattern with all late night updates, I will post this and then reply to reviews (unless I fall asleep, in which case I will respond to your review tomorrow :D)**

 **Special thanks to: LeUltimateNerd, ILoveCheetos, Peanut2196, Fxreflies, FirstFandomFangirl, SweetHeart114, RandomDragon2.0, KyraPlays, WindNinja333, TheYellowNinja, Star, ABCSKW123-IX, and SerpentineKing for reviewing! :D**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **TheYellowNinja: Aw, it makes me SO happy to know how excited you are for the updates! I really hope you did well on your test, but even if you didn't, at least it's over! Poor Morro feeling bad about himself :'( Don't worry, we will continue to explore his headspace :D At least the Lost Souls were happy to see him back :3 We'll see about Cole and Yang... ;D Haha, I like to think that that's Morro's backstory as well XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Star: Gem is certainly showing signs of growth! And, Morro needs some common sense knocked into him XD Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **SerpentineKing: Yay, I'm so glad you like the cliffhangers! I can't resist XD Honestly, I try to make things happen suddenly to better emulate real life, and if the chapter happens to find a natural end there, so be it XD Funny you mention Jay and Lydia. Read on... ;D Thanks for reviewing! :D**

* * *

Jay's ears were ringing.

He wrenched his eyes open, but the scene he saw before him didn't help his understanding of the situation. Blue and green and gray and red. There were dull noises somewhere under all the _ringing_ , and the world- or maybe it was just him- was shaking…

Suddenly nindroids appeared in his field of vision. Even though he still couldn't quite comprehend the implications of this discovery, his ninja instincts were screaming _danger, danger, danger_ and lightning shot unbidden out of his palms, short circuiting the three nindroids and rendering them useless- for now.

He tried to sit up- and cried out when he put pressure on his right arm. He placed his left hand on his right shoulder and hissed in pain when he touched raw skin. Pulling his hand away, he saw it was stained red.

Struggling to his feet, Jay looked around, taking stock of the scene. Lost Souls were running around in terror as nindroids and Stone Warriors flooded the camp. He could just spot Chen atop his chair over a few of the tents. He turned, looking for his siblings-

Lydia was staring at him in open mouthed shock, heedless of the chaos running rampant around her.

Jay's heart stopped when he realized she had seen him use lightning. The element he had inherited from her.

"I…," He stammered, anxiety flooding his system as he tried to process this emotional distress when physical harm was _very, very_ imminent. "I…"

She took a step backward, shaking her head in disbelief. "You knew. This entire time, you knew, you _knew,_ and you didn't-"

"Mom-"

He gasped, cutting himself off. He had thought about saying it so many times, the word had jumped out of his mouth without his permission. It seemed to hit Lydia like a physical blow, and she staggered, suddenly weak.

Jay opened and closed his mouth- but what could he say? What could he say?

Nya suddenly appeared between them, grabbing both their arms and pulling them toward the trees, several of which were on fire, and their vehicles. "C'mon, we have to go!"

Jay followed Nya in a daze, keeping his eyes carefully averted from Lydia. He couldn't bring himself to look at her.

* * *

"Lloyd!" Kai shouted upon spotting his little brother with a struggling Morro in his arms. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Lloyd grounded out as he attempted to keep his hold on Morro. "What about my dad? The Yin Blade?"

"Gem!" Morro shouted, searching frantically for his little sister that was nowhere to be found. To Lloyd, "I'm not leaving without her."

"You don't have much choice in the matter," Lloyd snapped.

Morro narrowed his eyes. "You don't have my Soul Stone. You can't make me-"

"I'll find her," Kai interrupted, wishing Lloyd and Morro could see eye to eye _for once_. "Zane's making sure Garmadon and Dr. Julien got away, but they're fine. Garmadon had the Yin Blade. I'm looking for Cole. Have you seen him?"

Lloyd's eyes widened slightly with alarm, and Morro's eyebrows shot up. "The last time I saw him, he was with his mom."

Kai sighed; he'd known that much already. "I'll find them. Get Morro to the cars and _don't_ come back for me, alright?"

Pressing his lips together in a clear sign of dissatisfaction, Lloyd nodded regardless and hurried away with Morro in tow.

Kai dashed through the camp, taking out soldiers as he went and ushering the terrified Lost Souls toward the vehicles they had amassed on the other side of the trees. Though he normally would have liked to engage with any one of the generals of the enemy army, his first priority was his amnesiac brother who was probably terrified and hopelessly lost in all the mayhem.

His hypothesis was confirmed when he finally spotted Cole cowering under a card table with an unfinished game the Lost Souls had started on it. Corrine was nowhere in sight, and Kai felt a sudden, burning flash of anger at her for not being there for her son when he was in such a fragile state.

"Cole!" He called, rushing over to his brother. Cole looked up in alarm-

Four Stone Warriors blocked Kai's path. The red ninja barely managed to avoid their blows. For the first time in his life, he was trying to run away from the fight, trying to get to his brother that was creeping out from under the table out of concern for him.

"Stay back, Cole!" Kai warned as he kicked a Stone Warrior in the chest, rocketing him backward. Outnumbered and without even a weapon, Kai knew he was at a disadvantage, and any Stone Warriors he did manage to incapacitate would recover within moments. But, all he could think about was getting to-

"There you are!"

Kai looked up when he heard Cole cry out in pain. He saw Samukai with a hand locked around Cole's wrist, yanking him out from under the table.

" _Leave him alone_!" Kai roared, seeing red-

White hot pain exploded in his right side. The red ninja screamed and staggered, barely managing to sidestep the next swing of the sword.

"Kai!"

Instinct was the only thing that kept Kai from being cut once again, because his heart had stopped and his mind was frozen.

Cole had shouted his name.

 _Cole_ had shouted his name.

Looking up once again, his eyes met Cole's, and it wasn't the sad, blank gaze looking back at him, it wasn't the terrified look that yearned for so much more.

It was Cole.

He remembered.

Cole remembered him.

Cole remembered, and he seemed about to join in on the fight-

Samukai struck him so hard across the face, Cole was knocked to the earth with a thud Kai could feel even from such a distance.

"Don't hurt him!" Kai yelled as the skeleton general hauled Cole up by his gi and slung him carelessly over his shoulder. "Samukai, I _swear_ -"

The skeleton paid no attention to Kai, confident that the Stone Warriors would be able to apprehend him. Cole looked up at Kai as he was carried away-

His brother was gone.

The ghost who was so sure he had been forgotten was back. He didn't remember Kai, and he was so, so scared.

"Cole!" Kai called, but the Stone Warriors were closing in on him. The exertion and the injury were catching up to Kai, slowing him down. He couldn't escape the fight, and all he could do was watch Samukai carry his brother away. " _Cole_!"

"Let me go!" Gem screamed.

Kai only caught a glimpse of the little girl already in chains being dragged by General Cryptor before he had to do a forward roll to avoid a fatal blow.

"Morro!" She sobbed as she was taken in the same direction as Cole. "Morro! Save me!"

And, yes, Gem was a brat, and yes, she was spoiled, and, yes, there was a very good chance she was the oldest one here save Garmadon- but Kai was a _hero_ and heroes were supposed to save little girls screaming for their brothers- because if that had been Nya screaming for _him_ …

But, he couldn't do anything. It was everything he could do to stay on his feet and not get killed by the Stone Warriors, and his side was screaming with agony as his blood coursed freely from the wound…

Suddenly all four Stone Warriors were blasted away by a wall of ice. Before Kai even registered that his enemies were gone, Zane had his arm slung over his shoulders and was dragging him toward the trees.

"Zane?" He asked stupidly. Now that he wasn't currently embroiled in a fight to the death, he was acutely aware of the searing needles digging into his side. He pressed his hand to the wound and nearly gagged when he felt his gi soaked through and through with blood.

"Come, they are not far behind," Zane replied, hurrying as best he could.

"No, we have to go back!" Kai protested, though he was unable to pull away from the white ninja in his weakened state. "They have Cole! And, Gem!"

"There's nothing we can do for them now," Zane said firmly as they finally entered the forest. "We must regroup with the others first."

Kai tried to dig his heels into the ground. "But, Cole-"

"You are no good to him dead, Kai," Zane snapped. The harsh tone and clenched jaw told Kai that the decision to leave their brother behind hurt Zane much more than he let on.

Kai was quiet as the squat, mustard yellow car came into view; he couldn't bring himself to complain about the lameness of the vehicle when it was everything else that was very, very wrong.

He was quiet as Zane pushed him into the backseat of the car, where Nya immediately hiked up his gi and pressed a rag against his wound. He was quiet as Lydia began driving and informed them that Garmadon, Dr. Julien, Corrine, Lloyd, and Morro were already headed toward Garmadon's secluded cottage in the mountains in the brown RV while the Lost Souls were heading anywhere else in the other vehicles to get out of harm's way

He was quiet as Zane explained that Gem and Cole had been captured.

He was quiet as Nya gasped in horror and began peppering Zane with questions about what exactly had happened to their brother. He was quiet as Jay buried his face in his hands; Lydia reached out a hand to comfort him, then, thinking better of it, replaced it on the steering wheel.

Kai was quiet, because there was nothing to say. He had failed his brother, and a vow to save him did nothing to assuage his guilt. With Cole already so faded, by the time they got there, there might be nothing left to save.

* * *

 **Sorry it's a bit of a shortie, but I have to end chapters where there's a natural chapter break. And, I thought with Lydia discovering Jay's her son and Gem and Cole getting captured, there was enough angst to tie you guys over to Wednesday XD**

 **Thank you all for reading :D**


	16. A Thousand Years

**I have OFFICIALLY finished writing Broken Circle! The document actually ended up being longer than Lost Soul, though since most of Broken Circle's chapters have been longer, I *predict* there will be around twenty five chapters like Lost Soul.**

 **I know I'm a bit early for the Wednesday update, but I couldn't keep you guys in agony any longer XD**

 **Special thanks to: evelinaonline, Breeze015, MightyShipper, ILoveCheetos, WindNinja333, FirstFandomFangirl, KyraPlays, Drawkill Vear and Lyracan, PrairieSkies, literallymedusa, SerpentineKing, Guest, TheYellowNinja, Star, LeUltimateNerd, Peanut2196, ABCSKW123-IX, and RandomDragon2.0 for reviewing! :D**

 **Replies to reviews:**

 **MightyShipper: Kai tried his best, but he couldn't save Cole D': Zane didn't want to leave Cole behind, but he had to at least save Kai :/ Yes, I am on vacation! Don't worry, you can make it! XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **literallymedusa: Haha, it makes me so happy that this story is torturing you XD And AMAZING?! You are too kind! :D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **SerpentineKing: I'm glad you liked the Jay/Lydia reveal! We will see the aftermath this chapter :/ The focus character of the story? If I had to pick someone, I guess Cole since he's kind of the one they're trying to save, but I try to give every character growth and development throughout the story :D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Guest: Haha, I'm so glad the angst is killing you! AND that you were on your toes?! We'll see how Jay reacts this chapter ;D Cole and Gem are certainly not in a good spot, and Kai is not happy about it D': Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: Ah, I'm SO glad you liked the action and chaos of the chapter! Lydia found out, and we will see the fallout this chapter! Cole remembered for a moment, but now he and Gem are prisoners :( And, Jay and Kai are injured. Nothing's looking too good for the ninja right about now :/ I actually just finished writing Broken Circle today, but I had SUCH a great time writing it! I agree with you; I think it's really important for the author to enjoy story just as much as the readers! :D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Star: "Amazing?!" You are too nice! :D And just after they got Morro back, now Gem's the one that's captured D': And Cole is in a VERY bad spot! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

 _Lydia set her parenting book down when she heard the door slam shut. Knowing what the slamming of the door meant, she tried to mask her disappointment and offered Cliff an only partially forced smile as he entered the living room._

" _How did the audition go?" She asked hopefully._

 _Cliff collapsed on the cushion of the couch beside her, letting his head fall onto the back of the couch. "They said I was an incredibly talented actor… just not what they were looking for for this part."_

" _Well, don't get down," she encouraged, letting her hand rest on her baby bump of eight months. "All this negative energy isn't good for the baby."_

 _Cliff rubbed a hand over his face, not heeding her advice. "Maybe I'm not cut out for this, Lydia. Maybe I should just get some office job. Be an accountant or something."_

" _Is that the cocky idiot I fell in love with?" She teased. She nudged him, and reluctantly, he turned to face her. "Cliff, acting is your passion! You can't give up when you're so close!"_

" _But, I want to give you and the baby the world, Lydia." He gestured hopelessly at the room at large. "Not crappy apartments and second hand furniture."_

" _I've got you and him," she argued, gesturing to her stomach. "I already have the world."_

" _But-"_

" _Hey, sweetheart?" Lydia interrupted, speaking down to her belly, and by extension, the baby inside. "Can you tell your daddy to stop being stupid?"_

 _Cliff cracked a smile. Playing along, he leaned down and pressed his ear to her stomach, nodding as if he were listening to someone speaking. "Uh huh, uh huh…," he lifted his head and grinned at his wife. "He said I'm his favorite."_

" _Ha! In your dreams."_

 _Cliff sat back against the opposite side of the couch. "You know, he might like you better if you would actually give him a name."_

" _I gave him a name!"_

" _We are not naming him Lydio."_

" _Well, that's better than Cliff Junior."_

" _C'mon, we actually need to come up with something," Cliff argued, laughing. "He'll be here in a month."_

 _Lydia, laughing as well, shrugged, "I'm all ears."_

" _What about… What about James?"_

 _Lydia made a disgusted face. "He can't have such a stuffy name. I mean, something small and cute like Jay would be good, but not James."_

 _Cliff rolled his eyes in mock-exasperation. "I'll make a note of that."_

" _I still think Lydio has a certain ring to it…"_

Lydia cast a sidelong glance at Jay for the umpteenth time. She had completely forgotten about that conversation- until just now. Apparently, Cliff _had_ made a note of it.

Honestly, she didn't understand why she had never seen it before. Now that she knew what she was looking for, she saw so much of Cliff in Jay: his nose, his jaw, his cheekbones. Only the eyes and the freckles were hers.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jay return her furtive glance with one of his own. That, the fact that he had interrupted her so many times on the train, and the fact that none of the other ninja had approached her exclaiming "So, _you're_ Jay's mom!" suggested to Lydia that it was a secret. None of the others knew.

But, Jay had. Jay had known.

And, he hadn't told her.

Finally Garmadon's small, white cottage came into view, the brown RV already parked in front of it. Numbly, she put the car into park. She felt Jay's eyes on her as she got out of the car, but nobody said a word as they forlornly trudged to the door.

Before she could knock, Lloyd opened the door with a grin on his face… that dropped as soon as he saw their expressions.

His eyes roamed over his ninja, taking a headcount… and he came up short.

"Cole?" He asked as the five of them entered the living room where Garmadon, Dr. Julien, and Corrine were anxiously awaiting their arrival.

Zane replied quietly, "Cole was captured, along with Gem."

Corrine gasped, staggering where she stood. Dr. Julien caught her and lowered her onto the lime green couch.

"Well, he wouldn't have been if someone was watching him," Kai snapped. His tone was downright acidic, his eyes icy slits as he glared at Corrine. "What kind of mother saves herself before her child?"

"Kai!" Nya hissed in chastisement.

Corrine put her head in her hands, sobbing. "You're right. It's all my fault." Looking up, she asked tearfully, "Did Samukai hurt him?"

"Yeah. He did." Kai snapped. He felt Zane's hand on his shoulder, and the nindroid reminding him, "Kai, your wound…" but none of that mattered because Corrine needed to know what she had done, needed to know that Cole was hurt and alone and _scared_ because she had abandoned him _again._ "Hit him right across the face."

Corrine paled, moving to hide her face in her hands again.

"Alright, that is enough," Garmadon stated firmly, his tone letting Kai know that that was the end of the argument. "There is no point in dwelling on what has already passed."

"My question is how our enemies managed to find us," Dr. Julien pointed out. "I thought they had no idea where the camp was. Unless Morro divulged that information whilst under duress?"

"He didn't," Lloyd said confidently. "That means someone else is a traitor."

"It could have been any one of the Lost Souls," Corrine stated, shrugging helplessly. "The desire to become human again must have just been too strong for one of them."

"But, they didn't get the Yin Blade!" Jay pointed out, shrinking when Lydia looked over at him. "That's good… right?"

"Yes, especially considering the eclipse is tomorrow night," Garmadon agreed nodding. "While we try to figure out the villains' next move, everyone take care of your wounds and regroup."

"Jay, why don't I take a look at that shoulder for you?" Lydia suggested oh-so innocently, fixing him with a pointed look.

Jay hesitated, glancing at the others for help, but Zane was already helping Kai limp into the kitchen and Nya and Lloyd were conversing in low tones. Sighing, he nodded.

Garmadon gestured toward the hall leading off the den. "Bathroom's first door on your right, and there are medical supplies in the cabinet. Just be quiet; Morro's sleeping in the guest room right beside it."

"Thanks, Garmadon," Lydia said cheerfully, leading Jay- _her son_ \- down the hall.

When they were both inside the baby blue bathroom consisting of a toilet, a shower, two sinks, and the cabinets Garmadon had mentioned, Lydia turned and closed the door very deliberately behind her.

She didn't turn around right away, not sure she was ready to face Jay even after instigating the meeting. She sighed a sigh that welled up from the bottom of her lungs, resting her forehead against the door.

"Um… Lydia?"

He was careful not to call her Mom.

" _Mom-"_

The one word she'd wanted to hear for sixteen years.

She took a deep, shuddering breath, and if she were human, she's sure one rebellious tear would have snaked its way down her cheek.

"How could you not tell me?" She asked quietly, turning around.

Jay had his head bowed, eyes determinedly watching his feet while his fingers clenched and unclenched themselves, desperate to find something to occupy themselves.

"I…. I…"

Lydia laughed a barking, watery laugh out of disbelief. "I know you must be angry, Jay, but-"

Jay looked up in alarm. "Angry?"

"I can't imagine growing up without a mother-"

"I'm not angry-"

"But, to keep something like this from me-"

"No, that's not-"

"You can yell and scream at me all you want, but I prefer _that_ to not knowing that my son is _right in front of me_. I mean, is that how you wanted to 'get me back' after-"

"I didn't want you to be disappointed!"

Lydia froze. "Wh-what?"

Jay turned away slightly, running a hand through his hair self consciously. "I just- you've been waiting to meet your son for, like, _ever_ , and I know you wanted him to be this great hero or whatever, so I just didn't know how to tell you that it's just _me_ \- you know, weak and awkward and a coward and-"

"Jay."

He cut himself off with a squeak when he felt her grab both of his hands.

"Do you want to know what I thought to myself after I met you six?" She asked softly. "My very first thought?"

Jay took a deep breath, preemptively wincing. "What?"

"I hope my son is like them," she whispered, smiling. "I hope my son is as good and kind and selfless as they are."

Jay bit his lip, as if he didn't believe her.

She squeezed his hands to convince him. "I _have_ been waiting for my son forever." She smiled, tears of joy welling up in her eyes. "But, I would have waited a thousand years for a son like you."

Jay felt tears of his own collecting on his eyelids. "Mom-"

She stepped forward and crushed him in a hug.

"My beautiful boy," she sobbed, planting kiss after kiss upon his cheek as Jay squeezed her back just as tightly. "My beautiful, beautiful boy."

* * *

 **So another shortie, but hey, at least Jay and Lydia reunited! :3 But, the question remains: who *was* the traitor?**

 **In other news, now that I've finished Broken Circle and virtually finished Morro's Five Times, I'm going to need to start a new story! Sooo, since Zane won the vote held a little while ago, I will begin his Five Times next, but feel free to leave a suggestion if you'd like to see someone else first!**

 **Thanks for reading! :D**


	17. Liar

**Thank you to everyone who's taken the time to click on my little story :D (I know I'm a bit early again! I just get so excited about posting and I have the most time at night, so... :D)**

 **Special thanks to: Zena Airale, RandomDragon2.0, Drawkill Vear and Lyracan, FirstFandomFangirl, PraireSkies, WindNinja333, musicalsaregood, LeUltimateNerd, SweetHeart114, Peanut2196, StoriesAreMagic, Star, TheYellowNinja, ILoveCheetos, ABCSKW123-IX, and Serpentine King for reviewing! :D**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **Star: Haha, I'm so glad you like it! We will find out who the traitor is... eventually ;D Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: Sorry it was so short! I try to follow natural breaks in the story :/ We'll see about the traitor! XD We'll definitely see more of Jay and Lydia together! :D Aw, it makes me so incredibly happy that you love this story so much! Thank you SO much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

"So, you and Nya are definitely a thing now?" Lydia asked, dabbing at Jay's bloody shoulder with a wet rag.

"Yeah, pretty much. We're taking it slow," Jay explained to his mother, trying not to hiss in pain. It was nothing short of surreal, sitting here on the edge of the bathtub, bare chested, in Lord Garmadon's cottage while the ghost of his dead biological mother stood behind him and cleaned his wound. But with all of the stress and anxiety of the past few days draining out of him as he talked to Lydia about the most mundane things- and she _listened_ \- he couldn't have felt more at peace in that moment.

"But, that's okay," he continued, gritting his teeth when the antiseptic hit the raw skin. "I'd wait for her forever. She's the love of my life."

Jay blushed once he heard himself, but Lydia only laughed. "I definitely approve. She's a smart cookie."

He felt Lydia begin to expertly wrap gauze around his shoulder.

Then slow down, as if deep in thought.

"Speaking of the love of your life…," she led in, pausing momentarily and squeezing Jay's uninjured shoulder. "How's your father?"

Jay's stomach dropped, landing in a puddle somewhere around his feet.

"It's… okay if he remarried," she continued, oblivious to Jay's distress, though her tone suggested it wasn't okay at all. "As long as she was nice to you."

"He's, uh… He's a big movie star now," Jay said hesitantly, mind reeling with indecision.

"Ha! I knew it! And, my dad said he wouldn't amount to anything," Lydia mused, tying off the gauze. "And? What else?"

He could lie. Make up some vague stories that Lydia could morph in her mind to fit the personality of Cliff Gordon.

But, she deserved the truth. She always had.

"I… have no idea," Jay admitted quietly, glad he was facing the bathroom wall instead of his mother. "I, um, don't really know how to say this, but I was adopted when I was a baby. I've never met… Dad."

Lydia had gone very still.

"Adopted?" She repeated, her voice very small.

Jay nodded. "I didn't even know they weren't my real parents until recently."

"Adopted." Lydia sank onto the edge of the bathtub beside Jay, body still rigid with horror. "You _have_ a mom."

Jay whipped around so he and Lydia were facing the same direction. "But, there's nothing saying I can't have two moms! I know you would have raised me if you could, and I love you, so-"

He cut himself off, realizing what he had just said. Sure, they'd already had the tearful reunion and everything, but "I love you" was still kind of a big step, even if it was true.

But, then Lydia beamed at him, and he wouldn't have taken it back for the world.

"I love you so much, Jay," Lydia said warmly before sighing and dropping her head in her hands. "I just can't believe Cliff would give away our son."

Jay bit his lip, then, feeling brave, he said, "Don't… ask me how I know this, but he, um, still cares about me. Loves me, I think." Jay thought back to Cliff Gordon's house in the alternate timeline and seeing the shrine Cliff had made for him, a collection of all the ninja's adventures and achievements and felt a sudden sense of longing to know the man that had given him up. "He's not dead yet, but in his will… he leaves me everything."

Lydia shook her head. "That doesn't make up for… for _abandoning_ you. I can't believe he… he would…"

Suddenly, there was a crash and voices yelling. Sharing an alarmed look, Lydia immediately helped Jay pull on the top of his gi, and together they rushed down the hall.

* * *

Nya passed the hall bathroom (trying not to feel a pang of jealousy at how cozy Jay had been acting with Lydia, who might as well have been a model) and carefully opened the door to the guest room. It was dark, save the faint light filtering in from behind the drawn curtains, but she could still make out Morro's form on the bed.

And, it seemed like he was having a nightmare.

He'd kicked the blankets half off his body, his muttering punctuated by shouts of fear or pain, she couldn't tell which. Frowning in sympathy, she tiptoed toward the bed. She reached her hand out hesitantly, as if not sure she would be allowed to, but eventually her protective instincts took over and she began rubbing his back soothingly, careful to avoid the Anacondrai-esque wound.

He seemed to calm down a little bit with the ministrations- until a particularly violent tremor woke him up.

Morro, breathing heavily, turned over slightly, squinting up at Nya in confusion. "What are you doing?"

Nya awkwardly retracted her hand. "I was just… You looked like you were having a nightmare. I just wanted to make you feel better."

Morro blinked. "Why?"

Nya balked, laughing. "What do you mean, why? That's just what we do for each other."

When Morro didn't respond, Nya sobered. "I'm sorry, Morro, if I made you uncomfortable-"

"No, I-" Morro faltered, and Nya was shocked that the usually arrogant ghost seemed so lost when dealing with this one display of affection.

Quietly, he said, "It didn't make me uncomfortable."

Nya smiled gently at him, trying to put him at ease- when Morro gasped and stiffened, throwing the blanket off of him altogether.

"Gem," he whispered, throwing both legs over the edge of the bed. "Where's Gem?"

Nya's face crumpled. "Oh, Morro, she was… she was captured."

Morro was deathly still for a moment, going pale.

Then, before Nya could so much as blink, he was limping out of the bedroom on his crippled leg, using the walls for support as he hurried out to the den. Nya caught up to him as he bursted into the kitchen, lunging for a shocked Kai.

"You _liar_!"

* * *

"I'm fine, Zane," Kai said, his tone utterly exasperated as the nindroid forced him into a kitchen chair. "It's just a scratch."

"That," Zane yanked up Kai's red gi, exposing the _very deep_ wound in his side, "is not a scratch."

Kai groaned as Zane rifled through Garmadon's cabinet for medical supplies, returning to Kai's side with a needle and thread. "Stitches? Really?"

"Yes. Really," Zane replied in a no-nonsense tone as he cleaned the wound. He held the needle out to Kai, and after a silent stand off, the red ninja lit a flame on his thumb and heated up the needle to sterilize it.

Zane knelt beside him so he could be at eye level with the cut, and Kai grunted when the needle entered his flesh.

"I find myself a little surprised at your behavior toward Corrine," Zane led in conversationally.

"No, no, no, this is not going to be one of your famous Zane heart to hearts," Kai declared, waving his arms to will away the subject altogether.

Zane frowned. "One of my… whats?"

"You know, where you get people to talk about their problems and spill their whole life stories without them even realizing that you're doing it," Kai explained irritably. "You've pulled it on me one too many times. You're not going to get me to apologize to her. She was with Cole. She should have been watching him. It was her fault. End of discussion."

"I agree with you."

Kai gaped at his brother. "You… do?"

Zane nodded as he continued stitching Kai's wound closed. "Of course. Corrine knew about Cole's fragile mental state. She knew that if she could not watch him, she should have found someone who could. It was her fault."

Kai narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the white ninja but couldn't detect a lie. "Right."

"It is, after all, a parent's responsibility to look after his or her children."

"That's right."

"A mother abandoning her son is a betrayal of the worst magnitude."

"Exactly! I mean, how could she just leave me like that?!"

Kai's eyes widened when he realized what he said.

"Him. I meant him."

Zane looked up at him knowingly. "Is it _Cole's_ mother that you're upset with, Kai?"

Kai looked away, shutting his eyes tight. "You did that on purpose."

"Kai-"

"What do you want me to say, Zane?" Kai demanded, glaring down at the nindroid. "You want me to cry about missing my parents? You want me to yell about how _mad_ I am at them for abandoning us? You want me to talk about how if I just knew what I did to make them leave then maybe I could fix it?"

Once again only realizing the implications of his words after he said them, Kai scrubbed frustratedly at his eyes. "Ugh, I didn't- _stop that!_ "

"They didn't leave because of you, Kai," Zane said calmly. "You mustn't blame yourself."

"Why not?" Kai threw up his hands helplessly, slumping over in his chair. "I don't do anything right. I couldn't even protect Cole. And, Gem… you should have heard the way she screamed…"

"You _liar_!"

Kai and Zane both looked up in alarm as Morro dashed into the kitchen, heading straight for the red ninja with a murderous expression on his face. Nya, Lloyd, and Garmadon were right on his heels, all wearing identical looks of bewilderment.

The Green Ninja recovered first, rushing in front of the injured ghost and holding him back. "Morro, stop it!"

"You said you would protect her!" Morro yelled at Kai as he struggled to get past Lloyd- but he was no match for the Green Ninja in his weakened state. "You said you would save her, and I _trusted_ you! And, you let her get _taken_!"

"He did everything he could, Morro," Zane defended, stepping protectively in front of Kai in case the ghost slipped past his leader. He noticed Jay and Lydia appear in the doorway, but the enraged ghost took no heed.

Morro, seeing that the pursuit of his original goal was futile, turned his ire onto Lloyd instead. "And, _you_!" He grabbed the front of Lloyd's green gi, jerking him forward. "I _told_ you I didn't want to leave without her! I _told_ you we needed to find her, but you didn't listen!"

"You were the priority, Morro," Lloyd growled, smacking the ghost's hand away. "I had to get you out-"

" _You're still not listening_!" Morro shouted, grabbing his head in frustration. "Who do you know that has access to _everyone's_ Soul Stones? Who do you know that can make _anyone_ do _anything_?"

Lloyd was silent as the horrible realization flooded him.

"She is my little sister, and I love her," Morro grounded out quietly, still glaring at Lloyd. "But, she is also the most powerful weapon in the game. And, you might as well have gift-wrapped her and dropped her on their doorstep."

"What is Morro talking about?" Garmadon demanded, stepping forward.

"Gem has the power to mind control people," Lloyd stated numbly, as if he hadn't quite wrapped his head around the words himself.

Garmadon sighed, placing his hand on his head. "And, that information didn't seem worth sharing before now?"

"I forgot about it, Dad," Lloyd said apologetically.

"But, she can only use it when we're close by, right?" Jay pointed out, tone optimistic. "We just have to run away from them until the eclipse passes!"

"But, they have Cole," Nya argued. "They'll use him against us."

Garmadon sighed, "The Yin Blade is the top priority."

"But, he's fading away," Jay protested.

"I almost forgot!" Kai exclaimed suddenly, making everyone jump. "Cole- I saw him right before he got taken away. And he _recognized_ me."

The other ninja shared alarmed looks. "He… remembered you?" Nya asked disbelievingly.

Kai nodded, his expression fiercely serious. "Right after I got this," he said, gesturing to his wound in disgust. "Said my name and everything." He looked at each of his teammates in turn. "He's still in there."

"The moment after the eclipse has passed, we will pour all our efforts into saving Cole and Gem," Garmadon offered. "But, tonight we must rest, and tomorrow we have to stay vigilant."

"The bad guys don't know where we are, right?" Jay asked nervously.

"No, they do not. And, we must keep it that way," Garmadon replied. "Everyone needs to get some sleep. We'll keep a watch in shifts."

"I'll take the first shift," Kai offered, grabbing Zane's shoulder to pull himself into a standing position.

"No, anybody who's injured is exempt," Nya said firmly, narrowing her eyes at her older brother. " _I'll_ take the first shift."

Kai rolled his eyes but obediently lowered himself into the kitchen chair again with a grunt of pain.

Nya stepped forward and placed her hand on Morro's shoulder. The ghost jumped, furrowing his brow in confusion as he glanced at Nya over his shoulder. Lowering her voice, Nya said just as firmly, "And, that includes you, Morro."

He squinted at her. "What?"

"You need to keep resting so you can heal," Nya continued, as immovable as the strictest babysitter. She tightened her hand around his bicep, pulling him toward the kitchen doorway. "You're no good to Gem like this."

Morro, more than a little puzzled by this turn of events, allowed himself to be led back toward the guest room, limping on his crippled leg.

But, out in the hallway where they were alone, he growled, "If they touch one hair on her head, I'm going to make what they did to me look like a walk in the park."

Nya bit her lip, caught between not wanting to condone such violence and asking if she could have first crack at them.

Instead, she said quietly, "We'll save them." She squeezed his arm reassuringly. "We'll save them."

And, Morro actually offered her half a smile before disappearing into the guest bedroom.

* * *

Gem screamed as white hot fire ripped through her midsection. The pain, the pain, the pain had to end, had to end, had to _end_ because nothing could exist for long being in so much _pain_ -

Kozu threw her to the ground where she lay sobbing, hands automatically going to her stomach where the wound had already closed, hiding the gaping hole they had left in her.

She felt strong arms lift her up and hold her to a broad, warm chest. At first, her pain-addled mind thought it was Morro- but, no, Morro wasn't here, despite her many, many prayers.

It was Cole, with no recollection of all of the horrible things she had done to him, with an inherent need to comfort the poor, nameless girl in front of him.

The two of them were huddled together on the floor of the lobby of City Hall, Chen, Cryptor, and Kozu standing over them.

Kozu, who was now holding a shiny, pale pink stone, reminiscent of a seashell, in his hand.

"Ooh, let me try!" Chen exclaimed, snatching Gem's Soul Stone out of Kozu's hand. "Make Cryptor slap himself!"

A small gasp escaped Gem as she felt her body, mind, _soul_ do what he told her. She directed her haunting gaze at Cryptor, and, without hesitation, the nindroid smacked himself in the face, eliciting roaring laughter from Chen.

"Oh, she really is fantastic!" Chen choked out through his chortles. "Why are you hitting yourself, Crypty?"

The nindroid growled, wrestling the pink Soul Stone out of his grasp. "Make _Chen_ slap _himself_!"

Gem cried out as she was forced to comply, and the Anacondrai fanatic obediently hit himself in the face. Is this how her thousands of slaves had felt? Is this what all of her mind control victims had undergone?

Had she really forced so many people to feel this way? For _what_? To own a bunch of dolls that never loved her back?

Crying, she buried her face in Cole's chest, and Cole petted her hair in response. But, she didn't deserve his reassurance. Even if he didn't remember, she had used his mother against him, nearly made him kill his brother, _enslaved_ him and so many others.

And somehow Morro had found it in himself to love her. And, she had been nothing but selfish in response.

"Enough!" Kozu roared, interrupting Cryptor's howls of laughter and stopping Chen mid-lunge for the Soul Stone. "Stop acting like _children_! The battle is not won yet. We still do not have the Yin Blade!"

"Patience, Kozy-Kozy! It will be ours in no time!" Chen reassured flippantly. "In the meantime, shouldn't we also take his Soul Stone?" He asked, pointing at Cole. The black ninja tightened his grip on Gem.

"No, you imbecile! You know he needs to be whole!" Cryptor snapped in response.

Before Chen could renew his petty rivalry with Cryptor, Samukai suddenly entered the room.

"Do you have the location?" Kozu asked the skeleton general, who had been communicating with their source.

"Yes!" Samukai replied. "They're in the mountainous region. Apparently Garmadon made a little cottage for himself. I'm going to enjoy destroying it."

"Well, I'm going to enjoy destroying Garmadon! Talk about an ungrateful student!" Chen replied. "Let's go now!"

"My army will be ready in five minutes," Kozu announced.

"Well, _my_ army will be ready in _four_ minutes!" Cryptor countered, apparently still feeling competitive.

Kozu deigned not to respond, already walking away to prepare his army, and Cryptor hurried after.

"It will be okay," Cole whispered to Gem, still stroking her hair as she cried. "They'll come for us."

"I don't want anybody to come for me," Gem sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Cole. I'm sorry I took your Soul Stone. I'm sorry I ever did that to anybody. I'm sorry…"

"It's okay," Cole said again, apparently not touched in any special way by Gem's remorse, considering he couldn't remember the offense in the first place. "There's always a chance to make things better."

"There is?" Gem asked, looking up.

Cole nodded, smiling despite their bleak situation. "Of course!"

Gem settled against his chest, pondering this. She was grateful she wasn't alone even if she wished it was Morro holding her instead of Cole.

"Everything will be okay," Cole insisted, inexplicably cheerful. "You'll see."

* * *

 **Uh oooooh! The bad guys are on their way and our heroes have no idea! And, they have a very powerful weapon on their side... O_O**

 **About the Five Times: as I announced over on "Five Times Morro Trusted Wu," I was *going* to write Zane's Five Times... and then got inspired to write Jay's instead -_-; (I'm sorry, Zane! I love you! I promise...) SO, "Five Times Jay Cheered Someone Up" will be coming out very soon! (I already have two chapters finished and some ideas for the rest! :D)**

 **(Sorry to any Zane fans out there! I will get to his eventually! -_-;)  
**


	18. It Will Never Be Behind Us

**Thank you everyone who has read this story!**

 **Special thanks to ABCSKW123-IX, WindNinja333, Peanut2196, MightyShipper, Serpentine King, RandomDragon2.0, FirstFandomFangirl, StoriesAreMagic, PrairieSkies, TheYellowNinja, Star, KyraPlays, ILoveCheetos, LeUltimateNerd, SpiritDragon, and SweetHeart114 for reviewing! I love you guys! :D**

 **MightyShipper: Haha, I'm glad you like this story so much, but I'm sorry you dropped your cookies XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: Haha, sometimes I struggle with where to break up the chapters; this chapter is a monster XD We will see about Yang... ;D Kai and Morro are both very upset D': Morro loves Gem, but she is also very scary when she's not on your side O_O Gem is certainly starting to feel remorse, but at least she has Cole! Cole is naturally very protective! Which is why I love him too :3 Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Star: Gem is feeling remorseful, and Kai is guilty/devastated about his parents D': Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **SpiritDragon: Haha, I'm glad you're coming around on Gem XD They certainly need Garmadon, and if you can't tell, I love Lloyd and Morro fluff :3 Thank you so much for all the reviews you've left on all my stories! :D**

* * *

" _Kai!"_

 _Kai looked up just in time to see Samukai hit Cole across the face, sending his brother rocketing toward the ground. He yelled and tried to go to him, but his limbs were frozen or encased in concrete or turned to stone or just_ gone _because he couldn't move, he couldn't move, he couldn't_ move-

 _And where was Corrine? She should have been watching him. Mothers were supposed to love their children. Mothers were supposed to stay and never leave…_

" _Did Samukai hurt him?"_

 _In response to the question, the scene started over again, and Kai, immobile, paralyzed,_ trapped, _was forced to watch as Samukai hit his normally unshakeable brother, was forced to watch as Cole lost the recognition that had been there so briefly in his eyes and become so_ scared…

 _Corrine wasn't there for him. She had left Cole, just like she had all those years ago._

" _Did Samukai hurt him?"_

 _Kai shut his eyes, unable to see the scene again. He knew that Corrine would have been able to save Cole had she been there. But, Corrine wasn't there._

" _Did Samukai hurt him?"_

 _Cole hit the ground._

 _Corrine wasn't there._

" _Did Samukai hurt him?"_

 _Corrine wasn't there._

 _Corrine wasn't there._

 _Corrine wasn't there-_

Kai sat up with a shout, gasping in heaving breaths as he tried to reconcile himself with the waking world.

"Kai, are you-"

"Kai, calm-"

"Don't-!"

Kai ignored them all as he jumped to his feet, his wounded side screaming in protest. Their small group had camped out in the living room, save Morro, Garmadon, and Lloyd, who was on watch. The ninja and Lydia had taken the floor, Dr. Julien was in the arm chair…

And, Corrine was on the lime green couch, sitting up and blinking sleepily at the red ninja making a commotion in the middle of the night.

He immediately stomped over to her, grabbing her roughly by the shoulders and shaking her, and she cried out.

"Kai, are you _crazy_?!"

"How did you know?" Kai snapped at the trembling, blonde ghost in his grasp.

Corrine blinked uncomprehendingly at him. Jay and Zane were both pulling on his shoulders, but he didn't release her; if anything he tightened his grip.

"What do you-"

" _How_ did you _know_?" Kai barked, shaking her again for good measure. "You weren't there. No one was there except me and Zane.

"So, how did you know Samukai was the one who took Cole?"

A hush fell over the room. Jay and Zane stopped trying to separate Kai and Corrine and instead stared at the older ghost, waiting for her answer.

" _What_ is going on out here?" Garmadon demanded as he exited the hallway, Morro peering curiously into the room behind him, and Lloyd coming in from outside. Nya whispered a quick summary of the most recent events to them while her brother continued glaring at Corrine, his eyes burning holes in her.

Corrine scoffed, though Kai noticed she didn't meet his eyes. "Wha- This is ridiculous! Let me-"

"Answer the question, Corrine," Lydia said slowly, her voice perfectly even.

"I-It was just a lucky guess!" Corrine replied, her tone strained and supremely offended. "Is it a crime to make an assumption?"

"Nope, not good enough," Kai shook his head. "You told Samukai where to find Cole."

Kai released Corrine, pushing her back onto the couch so she sat down heavily with a scoff of disgust.

"You _let_ Cole get taken."

"Corrine, _you're_ the traitor?" Lydia asked.

Corrine bit her lip and dropped her eyes to the ground.

Everyone shared wide eyed looks with each other.

"Your own _son_?" Nya stepped forward, her expression hard and entirely unforgiving. "You're so selfish that you'd sell your _own son_ to become human again?"

"Bite your tongue," Corrine ordered, glaring at Nya. "I didn't _sell_ Cole. All of this- everything I did- was for him."

"How so?" Jay asked, crossing his arms. "How is making Cole a prisoner of our worst enemies- that, by the way, hate our guts and have proven themselves gifted in the art of _torture_ \- How is all that for him?"

"He's fading away!" Corrine argued, pointing accusingly at Garmadon. "You wouldn't use the Yin Blade on him! What else was I supposed to do to save my baby except go to the people who I knew _would_ use it?"

Corrine sighed, and more calmly said, "In return for giving up our location, they agreed to stop Cole from fading away. The only condition was that I had to let Cole get captured- so they could use the Yin Blade on him when the time came."

Suddenly, Morro pushed his way forward, limping over to the couch. His expression was unreadable as he looked down at Corrine.

"I thought you loved her."

Corrine reached out and took Morro's hand in both of her own. "Morro, I swear I didn't know they were going to take Gem. You have to believe me, I never wanted her to get hurt-"

Morro yanked his hand out of her grasp. "Save it."

"But, they didn't get the Yin Blade," Garmadon announced suddenly, stiffening. Narrowing his eyes at Corrine, he asked, his voice coming out as a low growl, "You already told them where we are, didn't you?"

Corrine hesitated, but, cringing when she caught sight of Garmadon's scowl, she said quietly, "They're on their way now."

"We're leaving," Garmadon said immediately, and everyone save Corrine hopped to attention. "The only thing we can do at this point is split up."

"Dad, is that really such a good idea?" Lloyd asked worriedly. "I mean, it will take all of us to defend the Yin Blade-"

"We're going up against a hypnotist," Garmadon explained hastily, making meaningful eye contact with his son. "I will take the Yin Blade and lead one group away in the car. You take the RV and lead another group. Even if villains split up to chase both of us, Gem can only be in one place at a time. If she finds you, you have to fight and stall- do anything you can to buy time. If she finds us, you will have to lead the counterattack to try to recover the Yin Blade."

Lloyd shook his head. "What? But-"

"Split up," Garmadon said to the group at large. "I'll be taking Corrine with me to keep an eye on her, but three more can fit in the car. The rest of you will go with Lloyd in the RV. Meet at the cars, we leave in two minutes."

Obediently, the ninja and their allies scrambled to ready themselves. Morro revealed he still had the Vengestone bracelet he'd put on himself to safeguard against Summoning Spells, and this they slipped onto Corrine to prevent her from using her ghostly abilities to sneak away. Nya then managed to scrounge up some rope, and this she used to tie Corrine's wrists together behind her back. Together, she and Kai hoisted up Corrine between them, forcing her none too gently toward the front door. She didn't protest or struggle. But, she didn't beg or apologize either.

The others filed out after them, debating over how they should split their forces.

When they were alone, Garmadon turned to Lloyd, grasping his shoulders. "What is it, son?"

"I just- I wanted to go with you," Lloyd admitted, keeping his head bowed. "To protect… the Yin Blade."

Garmadon smiled fondly at the Green Ninja. "I'll be alright, Lloyd."

Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut. "I banished you. I destroyed the Cursed Realm with you in it. This time, I want to _save_ you, Dad-"

Garmadon pulled his son into a hug, and Lloyd eagerly reciprocated. It didn't matter how many expeditions Lloyd led or how much older he got, he always felt like a little kid in his father's arms: like nothing in the entire world was going to tear them apart ever again. Like he was _safe_.

"You save me every day, Lloyd," Garmadon said softly. "Every day I know you're alive and _good_ is a day I know that, for all the evil I committed in my life, something truly wonderful came out of it."

Lloyd shut his eyes, squeezing tightly to show he was listening.

"That's why, right now, I need you to lead them," Garmadon continued. "But, I promise we will see each other again."

Lloyd, knowing from the beginning that this was the way it had to be, nodded. Sighing, he said, "I love you, Dad."

"I love you more than you could ever know, son."

When Lloyd pulled away, his expression was nothing but determined. "I'm ready."

* * *

"I want to go with her," Kai snapped as he forced Corrine into the backseat of the mustard yellow car. "I need to keep an eye on her."

"I'll go in the RV. I don't know if I can stand to be around Corrine right now," Lydia offered regretfully, shaking her head.

"I'll go in the RV too!" Jay exclaimed, raising his hand.

Everyone raised an eyebrow at his enthusiasm while Lydia giggled.

Realizing he had come across as a little over eager to be in the same vehicle as Lydia, to change the subject, he added, "And, um, Morro should come too."

The ghost started at his name. "Huh? Why?"

"Well, you need to rest, and the RV has a bed you can lie down on," Jay explained as if it was obvious.

"Oh. Right," Morro said, scratching the back of his head and looking away. "Um. Thanks."

"Good idea, Jay!" Lydia complimented, placing her hand on his arm.

Nya's eyes darted suspiciously back and forth between the pair, lingering especially on the hand resting "innocently" on Jay's arm. "I'll go in the RV too!" She announced, almost as if it were a challenge.

Then, remembering how on edge her brother was, she turned to Zane. "As long as you wouldn't mind going in the car too, Zane," she said with a meaningful glance at Kai. "I trust you to keep an eye on… Corrine."

Understanding the true meaning behind her words, Zane nodded. "Of course! Father, you will be accompanying us?"

"It's settled then!" Dr. Julien said cheerfully. "I wish all of you luck."

The ninja parting ways shared quick hugs, knowing that the next time they saw each other, it would most likely be after one or both of them had been captured and/or suffered the hardships of battle.

Morro stood by awkwardly- until Kai snuck up behind him, looping an arm around his neck and making Morro cry out.

"Try not to die on us, alright?" The red ninja said.

Morro frowned in utter confusion. "I'm a ghost. I can't die."

"That's the spirit!" Kai laughed, slapping Morro on the chest before releasing him.

Garmadon and Lloyd stepped out of the cottage then, heading toward their respective vehicles. A duffel bag containing the Yin Blade was slung over the former's shoulder.

After Lloyd said goodbye to Kai and Zane, he shared one more nod with his father before climbing into the RV along with the rest of the team.

The two vehicles started and headed in opposite directions, leaving the cottage as silent as it had been only hours before.

* * *

" _Now?" Chen asked, pausing in the painstaking carving of an Anacondrai on Morro's back._

 _Morro, the muzzle preventing him from speaking- or biting his lip or his tongue or gasping or_ screaming- _gave one exhausted shake of his head. He had originally been glad that they'd at least let him out of the chair, but, now, chained face down on the table as he was, he would have given anything to be in the chair again._

 _A muted shout escaped him as the blade dug into his skin once again, and had the muzzle been removed, he was ashamed to say he would have begged for_ mercy-

Morro sat up, gasping for air. If he was human, he would have been drenched in sweat, but he still ran a hand over his face out of habit.

"Morro, are you alright?"

He looked up in surprise to see Nya standing over him for the second time in a row.

Not quite sure how to respond to the question or her concern, he threw the blanket off of his body instead. "I'm sick of sleeping."

Understanding clear on her face, she nodded, moving to help him up. As he begrudgingly allowed himself to be helped over to the breakfast nook where Lydia and Jay were currently embroiled in some (apparently hilarious) conversation, Morro noticed dawn had broken. They were driving through the canyons of the mountain region, reminding him a bit of the first time the ninja had visited the Departed Realm and they had been attacked by a giant scorpion.

The giant scorpion that had indirectly made him reveal his entire tragic backstory to the ninja in a humiliating fashion, he remembered with a pang of residual embarrassment.

He gingerly lowered himself into the booth seat beside Lydia. Nya didn't move right away, and Morro glanced up at her to see her staring at Jay and Lydia with an expression he had seen countless of times on his own face.

Jealousy.

"Jay?" She said, causing both the blue ninja and Lydia to look up. "Can I speak to you privately for a moment?"

Jay furrowed his brow in confusion but nodded. "Yeah, of course." With an apologetic glance at Lydia, the blue ninja shuffled out of the booth and joined Nya near the back of the RV.

Morro jumped when he felt someone touch his hand. Turning back around, he looked at Lydia.

"How are you holding up?" She asked him, smiling gently at him.

"Fine," he muttered, moving his hand out from under hers and discreetly placing it in his lap under the table.

"Morro," Lydia sighed. "You're allowed to talk about your real feelings. After Gem… and then Corrine…"

A flash of anger hit Morro _hard_ , and without meaning to, he snarled, "I can't believe she betrayed us. I mean, I thought we had a good thing going and then-"

Morro, as if realizing he had forgotten himself, stopped and clenched his fists in his lap.

"I know it's hard when you lose your family," Lydia began quietly, trying to meet Morro's eyes even though he refused to meet her gaze. "But, you can't just shut down."

Morro glanced at her disbelievingly. Rolling his eyes, he decided to play along. "Then what do you do?"

Lydia smiled. "You hope and you hope and you hope and never _stop_ hoping, and one day…," she threw an inexplicable glance at the back of the RV where Jay and Nya were talking. "You get it back."

"Uh huh," Morro replied instantly, though he had been listening more intently than he would have liked to admit.

"What, you don't believe me?" Lydia asked jokingly, not perturbed in the slightest by Morro's less than savory attitude. "Look around! I mean, you already have the ninja, and once we save Gem-"

"Woah, woah, woah," he waved his hands to get Lydia to stop talking. "The ninja? The ninja are _not_ my family."

Lydia quirked an eyebrow. "Um, what do you call taking care of you because you're injured? Making sure to say goodbye? Taking an entirely unnecessary risk to save you from getting tortured?"

Morro pondered this a moment. Well, when she put it _that_ way, it certainly _seemed_ like the ninja had retained whatever tenderness they'd harbored for him from their last expedition here and so _maybe…_ cared about him _a tiny bit_ … but ultimately he shook his head. "Lloyd hates my guts."

Lydia frowned in confusion. "I thought you two had put all of that behind you?"

Studying the tabletop intensely, Morro said quietly, "It will never be behind us."

Lloyd, from where he was sitting in the driver's seat and had overheard the entire conversation, guiltily bit his lip.

* * *

"What is it, Nya?" Jay whispered worriedly.

Nya frowned, placing her hands on her hips. "You know what." She threw a conspicuous glance at Lydia.

Jay balked. "Wait, you… you _know_?" He narrowed his eyes. "Did Zane tell you?"

" _Zane_ knows?" Nya asked in disbelief, trying to tamp down the rage building up in her.

"Well, I didn't tell him; I haven't told anybody! He figured it out."

"I can't blame him. You were being pretty obvious," Nya snapped, crossing her arms.

"I'm sorry, Nya! It's not like I didn't _want_ to tell you guys about Lydia being my mom, but _she_ didn't even know-"

"Your _what_?!"

Jay's voice died in his throat. Laughing nervously, he said, "And you didn't know that…," Then, he stiffened, a perplexed look on his face. "Wait, what did you think we were talking about?"

Feeling incredibly stupid, Nya looked away and mumbled, "I thought you like… liked her. Or you were trying to make me jealous…"

"Make you jealous?!" Jay repeated incredulously. He paused. Then, he grinned and asked, "Did it work?"

Nya huffed, smacking him on the arm. "That's not important now, Jay! How in the world is Lydia your _mother_? You _have_ a mom!"

"Well, uh… you remember during the Nadakhan thing when I took you guys to that huge house and said that I had saved up for it?"

"Yes…"

"Well, I _might_ have stretched the truth a tiny bit," Jay admitted, scratching the back of his head. "It turns out… I'm adopted…?"

Nya gaped. "Seriously?"

"I inherited the house from my real dad, Cliff Gordon- you know, the guys who plays Fritz Donnegan in the movies. And, my real mom is…" he gestured at Lydia, a fond smile touching his lips. "I got my element from her."

Jay could practically see the gears turning in Nya's head as she processed all of this information.

"Wait, your biological father, Cliff Gordon, passed away during the whole Nadakhan thing, leaving you the house?" Nya asked.

"Yes."

"So, since we reset the timeline…," The water ninja looked up at Jay. "He would still be alive now!"

Jay blinked, thinking. "I mean, I guess. I haven't gotten any letters yet informing me of his death, so…"

"So, you still have a chance to meet him!"

Jay's eyes widened, and he took a step back, waving his hands in front of him. "What? No! I couldn't, Nya! I mean… we're complete strangers!"

"My father's a complete stranger," Nya said quietly. "But, I would still give anything to meet him."

Jay bit his lip nervously, looking at the ground.

Gently, she reached out and touched his arm. "I've been thinking about it a lot, Jay. Everything that happened with Nadakhan, all the mistakes we made… We got a second chance. Do you know how many people would kill for a second chance? A do over in life?" She squeezed, smiling up at him, and Jay hesitantly met her eyes. "You have a chance to meet your father this time around. Do you really want to waste it?"

When Jay didn't reply, Nya smiled gently at him. "Just think about it, okay? I'll even go with you if you want."

Jay mirrored her smile at that. "Thanks, Nya."

"And, I think you should tell the others. Maybe after all this is over," she continued.

Jay nodded. "Yeah, I will. After we save Cole. He actually figured it out first in the other timeline…" The blue ninja trailed off, face crumpling at the mention of his imprisoned best friend.

Nya stepped forward and hugged Jay, resting her head on his shoulder, and her boyfriend eagerly reciprocated. "We'll get him back, Jay. And, then I'll kick everyone's butts for taking him away."

Jay chuckled, squeezing his girlfriend tightly. "I know better than to doubt an official Nya Vow of Vengeance."

"And, that's why we make such a good couple."

* * *

The car ride was awkward to say the least. Corrine was squished between Garmadon and Kai in the back, and both of them were watching her like a hawk. Zane drove and tried to continue relating to Dr. Julien everything that had happened since his death, but the atmosphere would have been oppressive for even the most masterful conversationalist.

"Chen was keeping you imprisoned on his island?" Dr. Julien asked quietly, acutely aware of the heavy silence of the backseat.

"Yes. That is, until Cole rescued me," Zane clarified, smiling sadly as he remembered what his imprisoned brother had done for him.

He noticed in the rearview mirror that Corrine sat up a bit straighter at the mention of her son, earning a crítical state from Kai.

Zane, not quite sure if he should continue, hesitantly said, "We, uh, escaped, but Cole insisted that we stay to help the other imprisoned elemental masters."

"He did?" Corrine breathed, voice dripping with pride.

Her voice broke the camel's back. Kai leaned forward, poison oozing from every pore as he growled, "Yeah, because that's just the kind of person Cole is. Not that _you_ would know that."

Corrine, finally showing an emotion aside from resignation, glared at Kai. "What do you _want_ from me? I refuse to apologize for doing what I had to to _save_ my _son_ -"

"You're not supposed to save him! We were going to save him! You're his mom; you're just supposed to be there for him and care about him and never leave him-"

"I saved his life!"

" _You sold him out_!"

"Enough!" Garmadon shouted. His deep, commanding voice cut through the shouting like a warm knife through butter, leaving both parties silent, if wholly unsatisfied. "Zane, stop the car."

The white ninja obediently put his foot on the brake, though not without uncertainty creeping into his voice. "Sensei Garmadon, I don't think…"

"Stop the car," Garmadon repeated firmly, and Dr. Julien patted Zane's knee to let him know it was okay.

Once the car had come to a complete stop, Garmadon opened his door and then directed his piercing gaze at Kai. "Get out of the car."

"I'm not-" Kai's furious protest was cut off by the slamming of the car door. Gritting his teeth, he got out of the car as well, slamming the door so hard behind him that the entire car rocked violently.

Kai stalked toward the old man waiting for him by the trunk of the car with his arms crossed and disapproving gaze in place. "What?" He demanded, throwing his arms out to either side.

"You need to get your emotions in check," Garmadon stated, his tone as hard as steel.

Instead of shaking his resolve though, it only fueled the fire raging in Kai's chest. "She deserves it!"

"That is beside the point. There is too much at stake here for you to jeopardize with these outbursts. Your _brother_ is at stake here."

Kai's blood was boiling, pounding in his ears. "Well, he _wouldn't_ be if she hadn't _abandoned_ -"

Both of Garmadon's hands clamped down on Kai's shoulders.

They were heavy and calloused from years of training. It was a gesture Master Wu had made several times when he was trying to impress the importance of a mission on the ninja- or, perhaps, even a gesture Kai's father had made. A distant memory suddenly unearthed itself in the back of Kai's mind- an image really, of his father kneeling in front of him, both hands on his shoulders as Garmadon's were now.

" _You're going to be a big brother now, Kai," his dad informed him, smiling. "You're going to have to protect your baby sister from anything that tries to hurt her in this world. Do you think you can handle that responsibility?"_

Whereas Kai had been hostile before, he found himself cowed into silence.

"I know better than most where you are coming from. I abandoned Lloyd when he needed me most," Garmadon said regretfully, meeting Kai's gaze head on. "I knew Ray and Maya personally. They loved you- both you and your sister- very much, and I know that wherever they are, they wish they were with you."

Kai looked down, not wanting the old sensei to see his glassy eyes.

"However misguided, Corrine did what she thought was best for Cole. I'm not asking you to agree or forgive her, but I need to you to set aside your emotions and see that, at least."

Kai clenched his fists but, without looking up, offered one very tense nod.

Garmadon continued, "I need you calm. I need you logical. I need you to be willing to do whatever it takes to protect the Yin Blade- even if it means sacrificing Cole."

Kai looked up sharply, narrowing his eyes.

But, Garmadon squeezed his shoulders. "Can you do that, Kai?"

After a very long pause, Kai nodded ever so slightly, though his wary and defensive expression never left his face.

"Good," Garmadon said, finally releasing him. "Let's go."

* * *

 **Sorry this chapter is so long! I was originally planning on cutting it in half, but it is KyraPlays birthday and all she asked for was a super long chapter, so here we are! :D**

 **Shout outs to RandomDragon2.0, musicalsaregood, and LeUltimateNerd for guessing that the traitor was Corrine!**

 **Next update is Saturday! And, we are quickly hurtling toward the climax! :O**


	19. Not Enough

**Hello, everybody! I know, I know, I usually would've updated, like, twenty four hours ago, but I had to go sleep early last night and was super busy all day today :/ But, hey, it's 11:14 PM right now, so still Saturday! :D**

 **Special thanks to Zena Airale, ABCSKW123-IX, Peanut2196, WindNinja333, MightyShipper, ILoveCheetos, FirstFandomFangirl, RandomDragon2.0, KyraPlays, Astrid16, PrairieSkies, LeUltimateNerd, TheYellowNinja, Star, StoriesAreMagic, SweetHeart114, and Serpentine King for reviewing!**

 **I will be replying to reviews right after posting this! :D (Unless I fall asleep, in which case I will reply at some point tomorrow :D)**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **MightyShipper: Haha, honestly I just write the story as it comes to me, and then split up the chapters after the fact where there seems to be a natural break. If I feel a character isn't getting enough "screen time" or something wasn't talked about enough, I'll go back and add a scene- something as simple as a conversation to flesh out those details. That's all the advice I got for you, so I hope it helps! :D "AMAZING?!" Thank you so much! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: Haha, I'm glad the discovery caused you to have a freak out XD Yep, Kai's a smart cookie when he wants to be XD Zane and Julien are so pure :3 And, Nya was SOOO jello XD Jay's opening up, so *hopefully* Lloyd and Morro can find it in themselves to do the same :D Morro as a ninja would be a dream come true :'D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Star: Haha, true, Corrine's intentions were pure even if it turned out horribly :/ Thank you for reviewing! :D**

* * *

Morro woke up to a strange pinpoint of pressure on the back of his hand.

He opened his eyes and lifted his head ever so slightly, realizing that he had fallen asleep in the breakfast nook with his head on the table. Looking down at his hand, he saw…

Jay with an uncapped black marker in his grasp, pressing harder and harder into Morro's hand whenever no ink appeared. "What the…?" He murmured to himself, brow furrowed.

Morro sat up fully, narrowing his eyes at Jay in confusion. "What are you doing?"

Jay screamed and jumped a full three inches in the air, cueing laughter from Lydia and Nya also squeezed in the breakfast nook and even a chuckle from Lloyd in the front. "Morro! I, uh, I wasn't doing anything! What makes you think I was doing something?!"

"Jay was trying to draw a mustache on your face," Nya informed him instead, laughing again when she saw Jay's wounded expression at her betrayal. "But, apparently, markers don't work on ghosts' skin, which I tried to tell him."

Morro frowned as he processed all this information, and Jay quaked in fear of whatever the ghost's vengeance entailed.

Honestly, Morro was a little shocked that Jay was acting so silly at a time like this. Corrine had betrayed them, Gem and Cole- _their brother_ \- were captured, they were most likely trying to outrun an inevitable defeat at the hands of their worst enemies… And here Jay was, trying to doodle on his face.

But, then again… Jay was always cracking jokes, even in the most dire of situations. He knew the gravity of the mission, and yet he aimed to raise everyone's spirits, to make his family laugh because the only alternative was despair.

And, he was including Morro in that.

Smirking, Morro grabbed Jay's wrist and twisted so the blue ninja gasped in pain and let go of the marker. Catching the writing utensil in his other hand, Morro swiped it along Jay's face before the lightning master could blink, leaving a thick, ugly black streak down the length of Jay's cheek.

"No, but they work great on human skin."

Jay sputtered in shock, and Lydia and Nya dissolved into roaring laughter. Morro was pleased that he had been able to elicit such a response… but then he realized he didn't hear Lloyd laughing. Sure, the joke was more of a visual gag, and so the Green Ninja was probably confused as to what had actually happened, what with his eyes glued to the windshield, but Morro couldn't help but think that it was because of him. Lloyd didn't want him here- that was much was clear- and he probably did not appreciate Morro acting so cozy-cozy with his siblings.

Jay whipped out his phone, moaning as he peered at his besmirched face in the selfie camera. "Morro, how could you?! That marker's probably _permanent_!"

"And, yet you were more than willing to use it on _my_ face." Morro retorted playfully, though the Green Ninja's silence weighed heavily on him.

"Hey, Nya?" Lloyd called from the front seat. "Take the wheel for a second, will you?"

"Uh, sure, Lloyd," Nya responded. The RV came to a brief stop as the ninja switched places, and Lloyd stood, heading directly for the breakfast nook. Morro kept his gaze aimed downward, but he could feel Lydia's eyes on him like a physical weight.

"Hey, Jay, why don't I try to wash that marker off your face?" She asked, standing up and pulling on Jay's arm.

"Why- oh!" The blue ninja replied, quickly covering up his ignorance once he looked back and forth between Lloyd and Morro. "I mean, yeah, good idea!"

The two discreetly moved to the back of the bus and, with a sigh, Lloyd slid into the booth seat across from the ghost.

"Listen, Morro…"

"You don't have to say anything, Lloyd," Morro said quietly. "I get it, okay? I'm not a part of it."

Lloyd frowned. "No, that's not what I-"

"Incoming!" Jay screamed.

Nya yanked the steering wheel, throwing all the occupants to their right. Jay was knocked clear off his feet while Morro was thrown from the booth. The ghost clutched his injured leg as waves agony ran through the limb from the fall he had taken.

Not an instant later an explosion went off not ten feet from the RV, making the entire vehicle shake but not throwing it on its side.

Lloyd leapt to his feet as Nya slammed the accelerator to the floor, and Morro managed to pull himself up into somewhat of a standing position by holding onto the table for dear life.

Out the back window, they saw the Chenosaurus, Chen's chair turned dinosaur mech, in hot pursuit and loading up another of its missiles that it had just fired at the RV. General Cryptor was perched on the back of the chair, leading his charging nindroids into battle.

"Go, go, go!" Lloyd commanded, rushing toward the front of the RV. "Let's try to lose them in the canyons!"

Nya tried to maneuver around a tower of rock- then yanked the wheel again when she saw a battalion of Stone Warriors lined up in the passageway, obviously having been waiting for them. In order to avoid them, she was forced to guide the RV into a narrow alcove- that inevitably ended at a dead end.

Before Lloyd could issue an order of any kind, Stone Warriors and nindroids alike were diving off of the canyon walls that formed the valley the RV was currently trapped in. They landed on and around the RV, pounding and shaking it with the vigor only war, their natural state of being, could call forth.

"Hold them off as long as you can!" Lloyd shouted, already blasting a nindroid outside the window with a ball of energy. The window shattered and the nindroid was rocketed several yards away. "Remember, it's about buying time, not winning!"

Nya opened the RV's door, and then sprayed any soldier that was foolish enough to try to climb up the steps with water, making them either shout in pain and stumble backward or disappear altogether. Jay and Lydia protected the back of the RV, with Jay zapping the nindroids with his lightning and Lydia kicking and punching any of the impervious Stone Warriors that attempted to climb through the long broken window. Lloyd indiscriminately blasted every ghost in sight with his energy, and Morro used his wind powers to continuously knock soldiers to the ground and buy time for his teammates.

They held their own. It was beautifully executed, a strategy that maximized the use of all their strengths, and each team member was hyper-focused. The Stone Warriors and nindroids' ranks were thinning, and the RV had not been infiltrated by the enemy yet. They were just starting to believe that maybe they could win here, that maybe this victory would symbolize the end of the civil war-

When Jay and Lydia stopped fighting. Dropped their hands, stood stock still. When the others looked over to see what the problem was- they knew why.

Gem was standing beside the Chenosaurus. She was sobbing while Samukai stood beside her, pink Soul Stone in hand.

The five them were immediately ensnared by her hypnotic gaze. They stood as still as statues, listening to the all-knowing, all-powerful voice in their head, telling them that they wanted to stop, that things would be good- would be _better_ \- if they just… stayed… still.

"Come out of the RV," Gem commanded tearfully, compelled as she was by the skeleton holding her Soul Stone.

Nya stepped out of the RV, followed by Lloyd then Morro, then Lydia and Jay. All five of them were eerily silent, so fully and completely at peace were they with their decision not to fight, to accept their fate-

Jay shook himself out of his reverie with a little gasp. "No! No, guys, fight it!"

Samukai rounded on Gem with a furious scowl. "I told you to control all of them!"

"I'm _trying!_ " Gem pleaded tearfully. "It's hard to do all five at once!"

As her attention drifted, the other ninja fought against the foreign invasion of their minds.

Morro blinked as lucidity returned to him. He was aware of many things going on around him: all of the fallen soldiers were picking themselves up off the ground, joining the gathered generals, the ninja were surrounded and, now that they'd lost the advantage of their vehicular stronghold, hopelessly outnumbered and outmatched- but none of that mattered, _none_ of it mattered because Gem, his little sister, was _right there_.

And, she was _crying_.

"Gem!" He shouted, hobbling closer since he was unable to run on his lame leg.

"Morro!" She called in response, brightening when she saw Morro- the real Morro, not the mind controlled puppet present a second ago- even though both Jay and Morro- and now Lloyd as well- breaking free from her control incurred the wrath of her captors.

"Enough!" Kozu stepped forward, ripping the Soul Stone out of Samukai's grasp and pushing the skeleton out of the way.

And, then he slapped Gem, his palm cracking across her face like a thunderclap.

Rage, red hot and almost blinding with its intensity, hit Morro in the stomach. " _Touch her again, and I'll kill you_!"

Kozu, heedless of Morro's threat, pointed at the five enemies and snarled at his prisoner, "Control them _now_."

Gem, crying renewed and cradling her abused cheek, turned her hypnotic gaze back on her brother and his allies.

For the five ninja, it was like a dream. They saw a truck that had apparently waited out the fight drive toward them, lugging a large cage behind it. It was reminiscent of the cages for the animals at the circus, but its bars were pitch black- clearly made of Vengestone.

They barely registered the fact that they were climbing up inside the cage. Didn't care as the heavy door slammed shut and locked, rendering them absolutely powerless.

They didn't care- until Gem released them from her spell.

Lloyd launched himself at the bars, but he knew without his elemental powers, escape would be futile.

"They don't have the Yin Blade," Cryptor announced as his nindroids filed out of the RV, finished with their fruitless search.

"It must be with the others," Samukai concluded. "Let's move out."

"You'll never find them in time!" Lloyd shouted- inconsequentially. The enemy generals ignored him and continued organizing their soldiers into ranks.

Chen lowered the Chenosaurus so he was nearly at eye level with his allies. "And, _you_ get to ride with me, little girl! Won't it be fun in the big chair with Uncle Chen?" He teased as he grabbed Gem's arm, yanking her up onto the Chenosaurus with him and causing her to cry out in pain.

"Gem!" Morro called, joining Lloyd at the bars of the cage. He hated the sight of his little sister in the hands of his torturer, the one that had left the cuts on his face and the Anacondrai on his back, and yet he couldn't look away. "Chen, if you-"

But, the Chenosaurus was already stretching back to its full height with Chen and Gem tucked safely away upon it. At Cryptor and Kozu's command, the soldiers began marching in perfect time. Samukai hopped into the truck pulling the cage alongside the nameless nindroid in the driver's seat… and then they were moving, setting off to find the other half of their family and the long sought after prize with only hours until the Yin Yang Eclipse.

Lloyd groaned, turning around and leaning his back against the bars of the cage and then letting himself slide to the ground. He rested his forehead on his knees, but his voice was perfectly audible as he said, "Gem is too powerful. There's no way we can win."

He felt a hand on his head, petting his hair. "Everything will be okay."

"Thanks, Cole," he mumbled- before he realized what he said. Sitting up straight, he saw the rest of his team staring at the ghost- Cole, his brother, his _brother_ , his _brother_ was _here_ \- beside him in shock, who seemed not particularly perturbed by their surprise and only smiled reassuringly at Lloyd.

"Cole!" Jay shouted in jubilation, immediately tackling his brother and half-hauling him into a standing position- which was no easy feat considering Cole was easily the heaviest ninja among them, even counting Zane's titanium skeleton- and crushing him in a bear hug. "You're okay!"

Where Cole had been nothing but optimistic before, his expression dissolved into uneasiness and a touch of fear as he pried at Jay's arms locked around his body. "Um, wh-who's Cole?"

Jay sighed, finally releasing his brother, who immediately backed up into the corner he had been cowering in before his cellmates joined him. "Right."

Lydia stepped forward and placed a comforting arm around Jay's shoulders. Nya, who might have scowled at the display of affection before, only smiled knowingly. Lloyd and Morro both raised an eyebrow, feeling left out of the loop.

"The Eclipse will be over in a few hours, and then you guys can confront Yang-"

Cole whimpered, covering his ears. "Don't say his name."

The five of them started, exchanging a curious glance. Eventually Nya crept forward so as to not startle the ghost and sat beside him in the corner of the cage. "You know Yang?"

Cole shut his eyes tight. "My master."

Nya reached out and squeezed Cole's arm, filled with a fierce protectiveness that only visited her when someone threatened any one of her brothers- the flip side of which was an all-consuming need to bash Yang's face in over and over again.

"He's not your master. You are your own master, Cole."

Cole shook his head. "He's my master. He said I was forgotten because no one loved me when I was alive. He said it will be better to be in the big house. He said I need to complete the circle."

"He talks to you?" Lloyd asked, leaning forward. "How?"

"When I sleep- I think I'm asleep," Cole looked at Nya and clarified. "I sleep a lot."

"What's the big house?" Jay asked. "Yang wants to send Cole to jail?!"

"I don't think that's the big house he's talking about," Morro replied with a roll of his eyes. "That's dumb."

"Well, _you're_ dumb," Jay retorted, obviously unable to come up with anything better, earning a laugh from Lydia.

"Based on the cleverness of that comeback, I think it's very clear which of us is the dumb one."

Both Lydia and Nya laughed, with the former patting the blue ninja's knee and telling him apologetically, "He got you there, honey."

And, Morro realized they were bickering with one another, and it felt almost… natural. He focused on the black streak on Jay's face, earned in another bout of playfulness. Nya had comforted him during his nightmare, Lydia had advised him, Cole- when he was his usual self- had to have a certain soft spot for him after carrying him all that time when he had been inebriated by scorpion venom. It was almost as if Morro was their-

His eyes brushed over Lloyd. Oh. Right. Not enough.

* * *

 **Uh oh! The ninja are certainly in trouble now! (Then again, when are they not? XD)**

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter! I will reply to reviews tonight and tomorrow :D**


	20. Not Like This

**Per usual, I'm early for the Wednesday update, but oh well XD Thank you everyone who has taken the time to read my little story! I appreciate each and every one of you! :D**

 **WARNING! This chapter contains self-harm, which may be a trigger for some people! Please be aware of this before reading!**

 **Special thanks to WindNinja333, Peanut2196, ILoveCheetos, MightyShipper, SweetHeart114, ABCSKW123-IX, RandomDragon2.0, FirstFandomFangirl, TheYellowNinja, SerpentineKing, LeUltimateNerd, Star, Breeze015, and KyraPlays for reviewing! :D**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **MightyShipper: No problem! Feel free to ask for advice anytime! Haha, I'm glad you like the roller coaster of emotions and tears! XD Thank you so much!**

 **TheYellowNinja: Haha, Jay can always find it in himself to try to lighten the mood XD We'll see if Morro and Lloyd can ever find the time to make up XD Cole is certainly in trouble :/ Aw, I'm so glad you like Lydia and Jay's relationship! :D Aw, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting! But, it means a lot that you were worried about me :D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Star: We will come back to the Lloyd and Morro conversation... eventually XD Aw, I'm glad you like Gem and Morro's relationship! I do too XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

"Gem agreed to return Cole's Soul Stone and free the rest of her slaves, and we returned to Ninjago," Zane explained, finally finishing the tale of their escapades for his father's sake. "Then, nothing of import happened until Gem summoned Cole, which brings us to today."

"Wow, you six really have quite a life, don't you?" Dr. Julien chuckled, leaning back in his seat. "I'm not sure I could handle such constant excitement!"

The silence that followed was pervasive and immediately overwhelming. Though none of them would admit it, they had been using Zane's story as a means of distraction; distraction from the fact that the sun was more than half hidden by the horizon, distraction from the fact that the Eclipse would be occurring in about an hour- maybe less- distraction from the hope that they would actually succeed in saving Ninjago from their enemies without a fight, distraction from the dread of knowing that that hope could come crashing down in a spectacular fashion at any moment.

Now that that distraction was gone, it was all anybody could do to keep from going insane.

Kai bit his nails. Garmadon's grip on the duffel bag in his lap tightened. Corrine had her eyes closed, lips moving just barely as if saying a prayer or perhaps mouthing the words to a favorite song.

"Garmadon?" She asked, her voice musical and firm, as unshakeable as her resolve to save Cole. She didn't open her eyes. "What exactly happens when someone passes through the rift?"

Garmadon pressed his lips together, debating over whether he should respond or not. But, as Kai suspected, he seemed to empathize with Corrine over son-abandonment, and so explained, "When a ghost passes through the rift, they wake up in Ninjago as a human. I don't know the exact mechanics of it. I suspect no one does."

Corrine hummed. "So, I won't be able to see Cole as a human."

"You won't be able to see Cole as a human, because the rift is not opening."

For all of Kai's disdain for Corrine, he couldn't help but eye the bag in Garmadon's lap. He could almost imagine Cole's face when he woke up and found himself human again. How happy his brother would be… The kind of happiness you only found once in a lifetime, maybe twice.

Were they really just going to watch as the opportunity slipped through their fingers?

"Zane, why are we slowing down?" Garmadon asked, leaning forward and gripping the back of Zane's seat like it was a particularly slimy fish he didn't want wriggling out of his grasp.

"There are some boulders in the road," Zane informed him politely. The car came to a complete stop, and he put it in park. Leaning closer to Corrine, Kai could see four formidable boulders neatly wedged into the narrow valley they were driving through like a stopper in a drain. "No worries, though, Kai and I can-"

"It's a trap."

Garmadon said it with such conviction, they instantly knew it to be true.

Zane was already putting the car into reverse, turning the steering wheel to its very limit and making the tires screech in protest as the car swung around to face the opposite direction.

He gasped as a truck suddenly drove across their path and stopped, and he had to slam on the brakes or else ram into a cage full of his family members. Lloyd, Morro- was that _Cole_?- Jay, Lydia, and Nya all screamed and threw themselves to the ground, covering their heads as the mustard yellow car came within inches of crushing them. The five occupants of the car were thrown against their seatbelts, accompanied by screams of their own.

No one breathed. The air was electric, as if they were caught in a thunderstorm and lightning was bound to strike at any moment.

And, it did. Almost instantly, they were surrounded. Both the nindroid and Stone Warrior armies formed an impenetrable wall on three sides, barring any hope of escape. Chen, Cryptor, Kozu, Samukai, and a miserable-looking Gem gathered near the truck with their imprisoned friends sporting notably smug expressions on their faces.

"Oh, Garmadon!" Chen sang teasingly, waving at his old student through the windshield. Garmadon gritted his teeth. "You have something of ours!"

"What do we do?" Kai hissed at the old sensei.

"Get out of the car," Garmadon replied calmly, though his gaze never left Gem. "Better to meet them on equal terms."

They obeyed, Kai keeping a rock solid grip on Corrine's arm, Zane moving to stand protectively in front of his father, Garmadon with the duffel bag over his shoulder.

Their eyes couldn't help but wander to the giant cage over their enemies' shoulders. Lloyd shrugged apologetically, supremely disappointed in himself. Nya held a thumbs up to show they were okay. Jay had his arms around Cole, who had yet to recover from the terror of almost getting rammed by the yellow car, but shook his head at them. _No change_.

All of this communication took place in a matter of milliseconds.

Samukai held out his hand. "The Yin Blade."

Garmadon shook his head. "Never."

Cryptor, who had insisted on taking a turn at getting to hold Gem's Soul Stone, shoved her none too gently forward. Inside the cage, Morro growled.

"Make him hand it over," he demanded, pointing at Garmadon.

Gem whimpered but focused her hypnotic gaze on Garmadon. The old sensei narrowed his eyes.

Nothing happened.

Cryptor gave Gem's arm a savage yank. "I _said_ -"

"I _can't_!" Gem sobbed. Morro was shouting obscenities from the cage while the others tried to calm him down. "It's not- it's not _working_!"

"Don't take it out on the girl, Cryptor," Garmadon commanded, crossing his arms. "I have trained my mind for decades to withstand mind-bending techniques of the most penetrating kind. You shouldn't be surprised her hypnotism doesn't work on me."

The bad guys weren't intimidated. Turning to his Stone Warriors, Kozu took a deep breath to order them to swarm-

"Wait!" Chen called.

Kozu shut his mouth with an annoyed huff and turned a glare so intense on Chen, it was the equivalent of saying aloud, _"This better be good."_

"I have an idea that is not quite so chaotic. Much more fun, if you ask me!" He explained, marching toward the Vengestone cage. He snatched the keys from the nindroid standing guard and unlocked the prison. The ninja inside were all on edge, watching him warily, but no one dared to rush him with Gem standing not five feet away.

"Aha!" Chen shouted.

He grabbed Lloyd by the front of his gi.

Garmadon's heart stopped.

Chen dragged the Green Ninja out of the cage. Lloyd struggled and snarled, and the other ninja's muscles were coiled so tightly, they were fit to burst, but once again, they all found themselves helpless. Chen tossed the keys to the nindroid who obediently locked the cage again.

Chen threw Lloyd to his knees scarcely two feet in front of Garmadon.

"Whatever happens, Dad, don't do it," Lloyd said hurriedly, earning a smack from Chen for his trouble.

Garmadon's fists were clenched so tightly, his knuckles were as white as freshly fallen snow.

"Crypty, if you please," Chen said cordially, in stark contrast to their petty rivalry from before, and held his hand out for the Soul Stone. Cryptor, who did not like Chen but had a feeling he would like whatever Chen had planned, handed it to him.

Almost all of the pieces were in place now. Finally, Chen took a small knife out of his boot that he apparently kept hidden there for emergencies.

And handed it to Lloyd.

Lloyd took it, puzzled.

"Gem, my precious little jewel," Chen called over his shoulder. Morro glared holes in the back of his head.

"Make Lloyd kill himself." Chen smirked. " _Slowly._ "

The ninja gasped. Lloyd turned wide eyes on Chen. Garmadon didn't- _couldn't_ \- move.

Gem fixed her watery blue eyes on Lloyd even as she choked out, "I'm _sorry_."

Lloyd's hand trembled.

His movements were jerky, like a robot short circuiting or a puppet being woken by an inexperienced puppeteer. The blade arced toward his face, stopping just short of his eyeball. Lloyd grunted in pain when the very tip of the blade bit into his cheek like an angry wasp, but his eyes were blank.

A bead of blood snaked its way down his cheek.

"Stop it!" Kai yelled. "Stop- _Lloyd_!"

Zane took a menacing step forward. Samukai moved into his path, clearly telegraphing that any interruption would not be taken lying down.

Garmadon didn't move.

Lloyd couldn't help the whimper that escaped as he drew the knife down his cheek, leaving an ugly, blood red streak in its place. It was almost funny how much it resembled the black ink Morro had left on Jay's face.

"Lloyd!" Jay called from inside the cage as Cole buried his face in his shoulder.

"Guys, _do_ something! Do- do _anything_!" Nya shouted, covering her mouth when her eyes were inevitably drawn back to Lloyd's wounded face.

Lloyd shut his eyes as the blade rounded his jaw, trailing dangerously close to his throat. He took a shuddering breath that almost always was a preamble to crying.

" _Garmadon_!" Kai snapped, turning to the old sensei who had yet to move- or breathe, it seemed. "Just- Just _give_ it to them!"

"Tick tock, Garmadon!" Chen sang, petting Lloyd's head like a good dog.

The blade came to rest firmly against Lloyd's jugular.

Tears leaked down Lloyd's cheeks, mixing with the blood of his wound.

"I know you said I have to set aside my emotions. I know you said we have to sacrifice anything for the Yin Blade," Kai said hurriedly, glancing rapidly back and forth between Garmadon and his brother, his _baby brother_ … "But, we can't do it like this. We're the good guys. We'll save the day, we always do, but _not like this_."

A tense moment passed.

"Oh, well, I guess Garmadon's going to abandon his son again. It's okay, he's used to it by now." Chen said offhandedly. To Gem, "Finish it."

" _Stop!_ "

Garmadon ripped the duffel bag off and threw it at Chen's feet, all while diving for Lloyd. He grabbed the knife out of Lloyd's hand and engulfed his son in a hug, pressing his face to his robes to stop the bleeding.

Lloyd, more afraid of what almost was than he would like to admit, wrapped his arms around his father in turn.

"Isn't that sweet?" Chen cooed as bent down to scoop up the duffel bag. He turned to his allies, all grinning like cats that just got the cream. "Summon him."

"Summon him?" Jay repeated. "Summon who?"

Cole placed his hands over his head as if fearing an oncoming earthquake and whispered, "My master. Complete the circle"

Lydia gasped, "Yang is coming _here_?"

"Wait, wait, wait," Nya held up her hands. "Lydia, didn't you say that all of this was organized by some 'mysterious benefactor?'"

"Yeah, we all received anonymous letters," Morro explained instead. "They were instructions about what the Yin Blade was and where to find it. Once we had it, it told us how to summon him to the Departed Realm, since he was the only one who knew how to use it. But, I went AWOL with the Blade before we did. They must have summoned him after I was gone. I had no idea."

"So, if Yang was behind all of this then… what was the point of making Cole fade?!" Jay demanded, fuming. "A distraction? Was it just for fun?!"

Surprisingly, Cole replied very quietly, "He wants me to be in the big house. Complete the circle."

Jay pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "What does that _mean_?"

Cole, still clutching his head, shook it back and forth desperately but nonetheless responded with, "Master of the house."

They might have further questioned Cole about his nonsensical ramblings… if they hadn't noticed all of the nindroid soldiers and Stone Warriors all bent on the ground with… chalk in their hands?

"They're doing a huge Summoning Spell," Morro concluded, twisting around to see all of the soldiers slowly creating the circular chalk seal necessary to summon ghosts. The seal engulfed the truck, the yellow car, all of the ninja and all of their enemies; it was easily fifty yards in diameter. On the edges, other soldiers were lighting candles- which were becoming increasing essential as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. Only a few rebellious rays managed to shed their dim yellow light on the scene. "Yang will be able to move anywhere inside the circle. They're going to open the rift right here."

" _Now_?" Nya hissed in surprise. "With all of us right here?"

"There's no time," Morro replied. "The Eclipse is in a few minutes. They have to do it now."

All of the soldiers straightened simultaneously, indicating they were finished drawing the seal and lighting the candles. Four Stone Warriors placed some seemingly meaningless objects at the four cardinal points around the circle: a robe, a bowl of incense, among others.

Samukai began reciting the spell.

Immediately, the wind picked up. A gale blew through their hair, tore at their clothes. The car and truck rocked on their wheels, and the cage threatened to tip over. The candles flickered sporadically, unnaturally, as the sun finally disappeared fully behind the horizon, leaving the flickering flames as the only source of light. Kai tried to interrupt the ritual twice, and always Gem stopped him with one glance.

A sound like unseen forces were tearing the fabric of the universe sounded, and Cole covered his ears and cried out.

All the candles went out, and for a single instant, the world was pitch black.

Then the candles relit themselves, revealing Sensei Yang standing in the center of the circle.

* * *

 **UH OH! The bad guys have the Yin Blade and Sensei Yang is HERE! What are the ninja going to do to get out of this one?!**

 **I hope you guys liked the chapter! :D**


	21. Remember When

**I hope everyone is still enjoying the story! We only have a few chapters left :'(**

 **I want to go ahead and post this tonight, but I will reply to reviews tomorrow because I have a *terrible* headache and need to sleep :/**

 **Special thanks to: Kira Vulpes, ILoveCheetos, MightyShipper, Serpentine King, WindNinja333, PrairieSkies, TheYellowNinja, Zena, Star, Plumcicle, RandomDragon2.0, LeUltimateNerd, Peanut2196, ABCSKW123-IX, FirstFandomFangirl, and KyraPlays for reviewing! :D**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **MightyShipper: Haha, read on to find out what happens next! XD I am SO glad to know that you are enjoying the story! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: Chen definitely went too far :/ And, Gem is just miserable D': Haha, yeah, Garmadon is just too awesome to be able to be mind controlled like that XD And, theeen we come full circle (see what I did there? XD) to the title with Yang :/ Things are certainly not looking good for the ninja. Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Zena: Haha, I'm glad this chapter messed with your emotions XD Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Star: Poor everyone indeed! Chen really is a super mega jerk :/ Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **Plumcicle: You know I can't resist a good cliffhanger! XD I'm so glad you love this story as much as I do! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

Then the candles relit themselves, revealing Sensei Yang standing in the center of the circle.

He took stock of his surroundings but merely raised an eyebrow at the presence of the ninja, obviously caught in some sort of standoff.

"There were some… complications," Chen explained, presenting the duffel bag with Yin Blade inside to the ghost and handing Gem's Soul Stone back to Cryptor. "But, we have the Blade. We held up our end of the deal, now you hold up yours. Make it work."

Yang took the bag and raised his eyes to the sky. "The Yin Yang Eclipse is almost upon us. But, first..."

His eyes scanned the faces of the prisoners in the cage as Cole cowered and half hid himself behind Jay, who locked a protective arm around his shoulders.

"Cole!" He called, apparently finding what he had been looking for. "Come."

With a sigh of resignation, Cole stood up.

Jay grabbed his wrist. "You don't have to do what he says. You can fight him, Cole."

"He's my master," is all Cole offered in response as he trudged toward the cage door. The nindroid obediently opened the cage, and Cole stepped out. When Nya made a move to leap out after him, Gem was forced to stop her.

The cage door clanged shut.

Cole kept his eyes trained on his feet as he shuffled toward Yang in the center of the circle. Yang patted his head once Cole came to a stop in front of him then grabbed his hand and slid the Vengestone bracelet off his wrist.

He slipped it onto his own wrist. " _This_ will stop me from being catapulted back into the Mortal Realm after the Summoning Spell has ended." He let go of Cole's hand and it fell uselessly to his side once again. "But, you will be forced back into the Airjitzu Temple once you become master of the house."

"Wait, what?" Corrine called, taking a stumbling step forward. Kai didn't see a point in trying to stop her. "What do you mean' master of the house?' What are you going to do to Cole?"

Yang glanced toward the moon inching its way toward the center of the sky. "We have a few minutes before the Eclipse, so I suppose I'll explain. I am cursed to forever remain in my Airjitzu Temple as master of the house. This curse would prevent me from becoming human again- unless I were to leave another ghost in my place. Once I become human again, Cole will more or less _inherit_ the curse from me, be forced back into the Mortal Realm and confined to the Airjitzu Temple"

The ninja gaped at each other in horror, but Corrine was the only one who could find her voice. "B-But, that wasn't our deal! The deal was that if I acted as a spy, you would turn Cole human again once you got the Yin Blade! You have to follow through on our deal!"

"We _are_ ," Cryptor countered smugly. "Our deal was that if you act as a spy, we would stop Cole from fading away- not that we would turn him human again."

"As master of the house, Cole will _never_ fade away," Yang continued. "He will remain forever as he is now, trapped in the Airjitzu Temple as I was all these years."

Corrine gasped in horror and fell to her knees as the realization of the loophole hit her like a truck. "What have I _done_?"

"Guys, we have to _do_ something!" Nya whispered to her cellmates, watching as the moon achieved its peak in the sky.

"Gem is too powerful," Morro argued. "There's nothing we can do as long as they have her Soul Stone."

"Cole is right beside Yang, though," Lydia pointed out, squinting at the two ghosts. "If he were to jump through first, Yang wouldn't be able to pass the curse to him."

"You heard Cole," Nya sighed. "He thinks Yang is his master. He won't do anything to defy him."

Jay frowned as his eyes trailed over his teammates that, while they were not in a cage, were just as powerless as those that were. His gaze landed briefly on Kai, whose jaw was clenched with barely contained rage, his fists trembling as he longed to rush Yang.

" _I almost forgot!" Kai exclaimed suddenly, making everyone jump. "Cole- I saw him right before he got taken away. And he recognized me."_

 _The other ninja shared alarmed looks. "He… remembered you?" Nya asked disbelievingly._

 _Kai nodded, his expression fiercely serious. "Right after I got this," he said, gesturing to his wound in disgust. "Said my name and everything." He looked at each of his teammates in turn. "He's still in there."_

"He's still in there," Jay whispered aloud.

His other three cellmates raised an eyebrow at the blue ninja. "What?"

"We have to jog his memory!" Jay explained. He scrambled to his feet, and gripping the bars of the cage, he shouted, "Hey, Cole!" The ghost barely lifted his head. "Remember when you said you'd kill me if I ever told anyone that you cry at the the end of 'Titanic' _every single time_!" Jay waved his arms frantically. "Well, I just told everyone!"

The black ninja blinked, scratching his head.

"Silence!" Kozu roared, pointing his sword menacingly at Jay.

"And, remember when you gave me that chain of origami cranes in my room?" Nya asked, deciding it wouldn't hurt to give Jay's crazy idea a try since they were out of options. "You told me you spent hours learning how to fold them so you could give them to me for my birthday!"

Cole opened and closed his mouth, studying her as if she were a very hard math problem.

"Let them talk," Yang said offhandedly. "The Eclipse is upon us."

They raised their eyes to the sky to see a shadow had consumed half of the moon. Yang removed the Yin Blade from the duffel bag, its obsidian surface glistening in the dim light of the moon. He did some fancy maneuvers with the Blade, its deadly sharp blades slicing the air, and then pressed it to the ground and begin drawing it across the rock.

Their eyes widened as it left a huge cut in its wake, almost as if it were unzipping reality. The enemy generals were grinning with anticipation as the glowing purple Rift of Return began to appear.

But, the other ninja had caught onto Jay's plan.

"Remember when you entered that cooking contest?" Zane called to his ghostly brother who had been watching the rift open with his sad, lost eyes. "And you single handedly cancelled the entire contest because your dish made all of the judges violently ill?"

"Shut them up!" Cryptor roared at Gem.

Zane immediately slapped both hands over his mouth.

So, Lloyd spoke up instead, finally raising his bloody face from Garmadon's stained robe. "Remember when I had a nightmare, so you took me stargazing in the middle of the night? And you made up the names of half the constellations because you didn't know what they were?"

Lloyd was forced to cover his mouth by Gem next- but surprisingly, Morro called from the cage. "Remember when you carried me and we- _ugh_ ," he visibly cringed but continued regardless, "cuddled?"

"Remember when I made you keep my secret, baby?" Corrine said from where she was still crouched on the ground. "Remember, Cole?"

Cole was looking rapidly back and forth between all of them, expression caught between panic and _realization_ \- like he was waking up and trying to remember what his dream was about or had a word right on the tip of his tongue.

 _It's not going to be enough_ , Kai thought, watching as Yang finished opening the rift, Yin Blade held confidently in hand. The Rift of Return gaped wide open like a wound on the mountain face.

Suddenly, he remembered the one other time he'd seen Cole remember. Kai had been trying to get to his brother. He saw him crouched under the table. His path was blocked by Stone Warriors. One of the Stone Warriors had just dealt him a serious wound…

Without warning, Kai sprinted toward them.

"Stop him!" Cryptor snapped at Gem- but she was still working on his last request to shut up Morro and then Corrine and couldn't respond in time.

Before any of the other villains could try to stop him, Kai was there behind Yang and Cole and the Rift of Return. He grabbed for the Yin Blade and struggled with Yang briefly- then let himself lose his grip and be knocked to the ground on his knees.

"Why you!" Yang raised the Yin Blade high above his head, about to bring it down on Kai and deal the defenseless red ninja a fatal blow.

Kai watched the Yin Blade descend toward him, wincing in anticipation. He felt the air part as the blade rocketed toward his face, and he closed his eyes, cursing himself for being _wrong_ -

" _No_!"

Kai opened his eyes wide just as Cole tackled Yang, sending them both rolling across the ground, away from the Rift of Return.

Before Kai could help his brother out, the tussle sent them tumbling into Cryptor- who was knocked to the ground.

The pink Soul Stone went flying out of his hand.

Kai scrambled to catch it, and the little rock grazed his fingertips- until Samukai pushed him out of the way. But, Zane had spread a sheet of ice below Samukai's feet and sent the skeleton skidding past the Soul Stone. Garmadon and Chen both dove for the Soul Stone now sitting harmlessly on the ground. Distantly Kai heard an explosion, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lloyd use his energy to blow up the bars of the Vengestone cage, freeing their trapped teammates.

Chen reached the Soul Stone first- but Garmadon managed to kick it away just before he grabbed it. Kozu stooped to pick up the rock at his feet, holding it up victoriously- until Jay and Nya both barrelled into him, managing to floor the usually unshakeable Stone Warrior general.

The Soul Stone was sent flying through the air once again. Its trajectory had it aimed to land right in the now recovered Cryptor's waiting palm…

A gust of wind, seemingly without origin, gently pushed the Soul Stone away from Cryptor- and right into Morro's waiting hands.

Morro squeezed the rock tight between his hands. He grinned at Gem. _You know what to do_.

Gem smirked back.

And, then she turned on her former captors. The ninja never thought they'd see their worst enemies look so terrified when faced with a six year old girl.

"Nindroids! Attack the Stone Warriors and Chen!" Cryptor suddenly commanded, pointing accusingly at Kozu.

Kozu aimed his sword directly at Cryptor. "Stone Warriors! Attack the nindroids and Samukai!"

"What?!" Samukai and Chen shouted in unison, before engaging in battle with the few dozen mindless soldiers that unquestioningly followed their generals every demand.

Gem was concentrating intensely, obviously straining to keep her mental hold over the two generals, especially after overusing her powers so much that day, but for the time being, the ninja and their allies were free to regroup. Cole continued wrestling with Yang and the Yin Blade, oblivious to the other battles taking place nearby.

"I think Gem will be able to keep them distracted until the rift closes," Morro said hurriedly to the others as they gathered by the mustard yellow car, watching his little sister control their enemies with worry clearly evident on his face. "But, it'll be close."

"We have to get Cole through the rift," Lloyd decided, his eyes following his brother struggling with Yang.

"What about you guys?" Kai asked, directing his gaze to Garmadon, Lydia, Dr. Julien, and, yes, even Corrine. "The rift is already open. You have nothing to lose from becoming human again."

The four adults shared a look.

"Someone has to deal with them after the rift is closed," Garmadon said eventually with a sigh. "They still have followers. If they don't make it through the rift, they might call for retribution. Mindless destruction. Someone has to stay behind to make sure that doesn't happen."

Lloyd looked crestfallen. "But, Dad-"

"We had our time, son," Garmadon explained. The others nodded to show their solidarity in the matter. "But, our new home needs us now. And, your home needs you."

"That being said, I don't think _all_ of us have to miss out on the opportunity to become human again," Lydia said, a knowing smile on her face.

She placed a hand on Morro's shoulder.

Morro's eyes widened. " _Me_? Why me?"

"You've done so much, Morro. You deserve it. Besides, with you being all injured, you're not going to be much help in a fight anyway." Lydia placed her hand gently against his wounded cheek. "We don't have a place there anymore, but you do."

Morro shook his head in disbelief. "I don't have anywhere to go."

"What are you talking about? You'll come with us!" Jay stated, as if it was obvious, punching Morro in the arm.

Morro gaped at him.

"There's always room for one more on the Destiny's Bounty," Nya reinforced, smiling warmly at him.

Morro glanced at Lloyd and shook his head, as uncertain and self-conscious as they had ever seen him. "No, I don't think…"

Lloyd suddenly stepped forward so he was standing directly in front of Morro. He placed both hands on Morro's shoulders, forcing the ghost to meet his eyes. He took a deep breath, "Morro, you put yourself in harm's way to protect your world and save the people you love. That makes you a ninja."

He squeezed Morro's shoulders, trying to diffuse meaning through touch, trying to show Morro that as much as he was injured now, that was how much Lloyd had healed. That it was enough.

"And, that makes you our brother."

No one spoke for a moment. They all seemed to hold their breaths, even as the fight raged on around them.

When Morro did finally speak, his voice was very low so that only Lloyd could hear him. "Are you sure?" He whispered. "If you say yes, you can't take it back."

Lloyd paused. If he said yes, he was inviting his former arch-nemesis into his home, his team, his _family_. The ghost that had possessed him and tormented him. The ghost that summoned the Preeminent and tried to destroy Ninjago as they knew it.

But, it was also the ghost that had let himself be tortured to protect the world that had been nothing but cruel to him. The ghost that had found a little girl trapped inside an evil slave mistress and let her in. The ghost that had died at a very young age pursuing something that he'd always thought was his.

Lloyd nodded. "Yes."

Morro couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. Then, as if remembering something, he shook his head again. "Not without Gem."

Lloyd glanced over his shoulder at his father. Garmadon sighed, "It will be much harder without her… but I suppose I can't deny anyone so young the opportunity to become human again. Take her with you. But, hurry. The rift won't stay open much longer."

"We have to make sure Cole gets through," Lloyd told Morro apologetically. "But, I really hope you make it."

With that, Lloyd released Morro and, with the rest of his team, dashed off toward Cole who was still fighting with Sensei Yang. Morro turned toward Gem, who was quickly becoming faint with fatigue. Dr. Julien and Corrine were left by the relatively safe vicinity of the car while Garmadon and Lydia defended the Rift of Return from any ghost that dared to get too close.

"Hey, just like old times, right, Garmadon?" Lydia called out joyfully as she kicked a stray nindroid in the face.

Garmadon laughed. "Just like old times."

* * *

 **Cole remembers, but will he make it in time to the rift?! Will Morro and Gem?! Who knows… ;D**

 **And, I know, I know, in the show the Rift of Return is in the sky, but this is an alternate version of Day of the Departed, so here, it's on the ground. Sue me.**

 **Fun anecdote: I've recently gotten into getting my nails done. I got them painted white, then blue, and then red. Everyone else was like, oh, the American flag! But, of course, my first thought was Zane, Jay, and Kai! I now have black nails and I'll be getting green next time to complete the set XD**

 **I hope you guys liked the chapter, and I will reply to reviews tomorrow! :D**


	22. See You on the Other Side

**Ugh, I finally caught up to replying to reviews! Sorry I got so behind everyone! :/**

 **Special thanks to MightyShipper, evelinaonline, Fay the great, FirstFandomFangirl, KyraPlays, WindNinja333, SweetHeart114, Serpentine King, LeUltimateNerd, PrairieSkies, DarkRed101, ILoveCheetos, Peanut2196, MarbleBird, RandomDragon2.0, TheYellowNinja, and Star for reviewing! I love you guys! :D**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **MightyShipper: That was definitely a TERRIBLE headache, but I'm feeling much better now, thank you for asking! :D Feel free to review anytime XD We will see if Cole, Morro, and Gem make it through, but no matter what happens, please don't kill me XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: It definitely seemed pretty bleak near the beginning! XD I'm glad you like all the memories they used to snap Cole out of it XD I'm so glad you loved Lloyd finally claiming Morro as part of the family! I did too XD We'll see if Gem can hold them! Haha, I like making subtle hints to my fandoms as well XD My mind always goes to Ninjago first! XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Star: We've established that Gem is very scary O_O We'll see if everyone can make it through the rift in time! ;D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

Nothing else mattered to Cole as he tackled Yang. The rest of the world faded away, Gem, the bad guys, even his brothers faded away, because all he could see was _Yang_ , Yang who had turned him into a ghost, Yang who had taken away his humanity, Yang who had the nerve to _attack_ his brother, Yang who had made him believe that no one loved him, had made him believe he was nothing, had made him _forget_ …

They hit the ground hard and rolled over and over one another- and Cole became hyper-focused on his training, on how Master Wu taught him to shift his weight so that he could land on top-

And, it worked. They stopped so he was straddling Yang, who had somehow managed to keep a hold of the Yin Blade as they fought.

Sensei Yang's eyes were wide, "Cole, the rift-"

Cole punched Yang in the face. "Shut _up_! Shut up, shut up, _shut up_!" He grabbed Yang by the front of his robe. "You don't get to tell me what to do anymore! _You are not my master_!"

Yang swung the Yin Blade and nailed Cole in the side of the face, knocking the black ninja off of him. He leapt to his feet as Cole staggered to his own feet, cradling his face.

"You're nothing without me!" Yang shouted, dashing toward Cole once again, Yin Blade held out in front. "You think they care about you? They'll forget you-"

"I said, _shut up_!" Cole repeated, lunging for the Yin Blade. He grabbed it and pulled it toward himself, playing tug of war. "They would _never_ forget me! _You're_ the one who made me believe that no one loved me! _You're_ the one who made me think I was going crazy! _You're_ the one who made me forget, made me think I was _nothing_!"

Cole finally ripped the Yin Blade from Yang's grasp. Suddenly, he felt a strength like he had never felt before, separate from his super strength, a strength that welled up not from his arms but from somewhere deep inside him.

It wasn't scary when his hands and arms began to glow orange. Somehow, it seemed natural, _more_ normal, and he knew inherently what he was supposed to do.

He raised the Yin Blade high above his head.

Yang reached a hand toward him. "No, Cole, don't-"

Cole slammed the Yin Blade against the ground, where it immediately shattered into a million pieces.

"No!" Yang shouted, turning to look at the Rift of Return- that was beginning to close. "What have you done?! You've doomed us both!"

"My family won't forget me," Cole said, his voice dangerously even. "Human, ghost, it doesn't matter."

"Well, it does matter to me!" Yang argued. "What do you think all of this was for?! It's so I wouldn't be forgotten!"

That made Cole start. "Huh?"

"I used the Yin Blade all those years ago to grant myself immortality, so that I wouldn't be forgotten," Yang admitted, hanging his head in shame and regret. "And, it worked… at the price of my humanity."

Cole shook his head in disbelief. "But, you created Airjitzu! You could never be forgotten!"

Yang drew up short, as if Cole had burned him with his words. "Really?"

"Yeah, of course!" Cole insisted, suddenly feeling the blinding rage that had consumed him only moments before flood out of him. Because this hadn't been about power, world domination, a sick desire to demonstrate one's absolute strength over a creature at their mercy.

All of this- _all_ of it- had been about an old, lonely ghost terrified of fading away.

The same fear that had haunted Cole on too many sleepless nights to count. The same fear that had pushed Cole to self-mutilation, had nearly driven him insane.

And, despite everything Yang had done to him, despite everything he had caused… Cole couldn't find it in himself to be angry anymore.

"Cole!" Lloyd shouted. Cole half turned around to see his siblings- they were here for _him_ , they hadn't forgotten him, he was loved, he was loved, he was _loved_ , and he berated himself for ever taking advantage of such a wonderful certainty the likes of which Yang had never had- rush up to meet him. They stopped and watched Yang warily when they saw that the two ghosts were no longer involved in a brawl. "The rift is closing!"

Cole glanced at the glowing purple slit in the ground, and even in that glimpse, he saw it growing smaller and smaller. To be human again…

He turned to Sensei Yang.

"Let's go together."

The other ninja gaped at one another, but Cole ignored them as he met Yang's eyes, trying to show how serious he was with one simple look.

Yang blinked at him, glanced at the rift, " _yes_ " sitting on the tip of his tongue…

He smiled ruefully and shook his head.

"Someone has to stay behind as master of the house," Yang explained, placing his hand on the Vengestone cuff he had taken from Cole around his wrist. "All this time, I wanted it to be you. But, you've given me something far greater, Cole."

He slipped the bracelet off his wrist and handed it to a dumbfounded Cole, who accepted it numbly.

"I am truly sorry for everything I've done." He smiled fondly at Cole, placing a hand on the black ninja's shoulder. "Thank you, Cole."

Cole scrambled to argue. "But-"

But, Yang was gone. The Summoning Spell had ended a long time ago; the Vengestone cuff had been the only thing preventing Yang from being plucked out of this realm and forced back into his temple, into his curse.

Cole sighed, staring down at the pitch black bracelet in his hand-

Kai grabbed the front of his gi, half-dragging him toward the rift. "No time to be stand around being sentimental!"

Cole laughed, and the sound was _absolutely beautiful_ to their ears after so many days of him being a scared, lost ghost. "Wow, sentimental! That's a big word, especially for you, Kai!" He teased, and in that way said everything he wanted to to all of his siblings: _"I missed you. Thank you. I love you."_

"Hey, I read!" Kai defended, his tone supremely hurt.

"Hate to break it to you, Cole, but in the last poll, you were voted dumbest ninja," Jay informed him apologetically, and in this way, they said _"Us too_."

"I resent that," Cole stated, frowning. Then, they found themselves at the edge of the rapidly shrinking rift, and suddenly, Cole got cold feet. Who knew what would be waiting for him, how much it would hurt, if it would even _work_ …

He turned back to his brothers and sister.

" _Human, ghost, it doesn't matter_."

And, finally he believed it was true.

"See you on the other side?" He asked.

"See you on the other side," Jay said softly, echoing all of their thoughts.

Cole smiled one last time at them.

And, jumped in.

* * *

Morro sprinted to Gem's side, and though he wanted nothing more than to engulf her in a giant bear-octopus hybrid hug, he was careful not to make her lose her concentration and thus her hold over Kozu and Cryptor.

"Gem!" He exclaimed breathlessly instead. He gently grabbed her hand and pressed the pink Soul Stone- _her_ pink Soul Stone- into it, knowing no one else, not even him, deserved to own it. "Gem, they gave us the okay. They're going to let us use the rift to become human again."

"What?" She breathed, unable to believe her ears. "They're- human? We're going to become human again?"

"Yeah," Morro panted, glancing worriedly at the Rift of Return over his shoulder. "But, there's not much time. It looks like it's already closing up. Let's go."

Gem glanced at Morro, at her big brother.

And, suddenly, she saw their lives flash before her eyes.

As a human again, she'd finally age, finally grow older. She saw Morro taking care of her, showing her all of the places he used to love as a kid. She saw herself become a beautiful teenager, with Morro threatening every boy that threatened to come within a foot of her. She saw herself at Morro's wedding; she saw Morro at her wedding. She saw their children playing together. She saw them growing old. She saw Morro's grave, her own grave, then both of them back here where it had all started. It had only been bits and pieces, but it was glorious, it was beautiful, it was absolutely everything she had ever wanted, and it was all _right there_.

Her eyes were drawn back to the enemies she was currently controlling.

And, then, just as clearly as she'd seen her life as a human, she saw the fate that awaited those left behind. Without her there to mind control the bad guys, they would regain full control of their armies. Even if the ninja started taking Soul Stones now, with the rift already closing, they would never subdue them all in time. Without her, there was a very, very good chance the villains would break through the ninja's ranks and make it to the rift in time.

And, even if they didn't, Garmadon and the other ghosts and the ninja would be easily outnumbered, possibly taken prisoner and their Soul Stones stolen. Lloyd still had the Realm Crystal, and though the bad guys would not regain their mortality as they truly desired, they could wreak just as much havoc- if not more- as ghosts with such a powerful tool in hand.

And, even if the ninja miraculously escaped with the Realm Crystal, the fate awaiting Garmadon, Lydia, Dr. Julien, and Corrine was almost too horrific to bear if they couldn't escape in time. There were too many variables, too many things that could go wrong without a hypnotist on their side to ensure victory.

They needed her. They needed her here. They needed her to stay until the rift was closed and make sure these horrible, horrible people could never hurt anybody ever again.

She wanted to cry, but her voice was surprisingly even as she told Morro, "I can't. They need me, Morro. Without me, we don't stand a chance against them."

Morro opened his mouth to argue- and then he glanced at the armies, at their handful of allies. She watched him make all the same calculations, come to all of the same conclusions as she had.

He sighed but nodded. "You're right. We have to stay."

And, even on his crippled leg, he turned to face the bad guys so that he could protect her if any of them managed to break free and lunge for the puppeteer pulling the strings. Her heart soared as once again Morro proved he would do anything for her-

Gem's heart stopped.

They needed Gem to stay until the rift was closed.

They did not need Morro.

Gem had to give up the opportunity to become human again.

Morro did not.

Suddenly, Gem heard Nya's voice from that very first night the ninja had arrived. _"Love is about sacrifice_."

She saw their lives as humans flash before her eyes once again- but this time it happened without her. She saw Morro visiting all the places he used to love, getting married, having kids, dying after many, many years…

Without her.

" _Love is about sacrifice_."

And, she finally understood what that meant.

"Morro," Gem said, her voice shaky and barely understandable. "I'll stay here. You go to the rift."

The response she received was not the one she expected: barking laughter.

"Haha, yeah, _right_ ," Morro replied, rolling his eyes at her.

Gem frowned. "I'm serious."

"Yeah, so am I," Morro retorted, placing his hands on his hips. "Don't you remember? I promised to stay by your side forever and ever. That was our deal."

Gem paused. "You're right. I'm sorry. Will you at least bend down?"

"Bend down? For what?"

"Just do it."

Morro groaned in exasperation but crouched on the ground so they were at eye level, grunting in pain.

Gem threw her arms around his neck, squeezing with all her might. Like it was the first day they ever met. Like it was the last time they'd ever see each other. She tried to hide the fact that she was crying, but Morro could tell and hugged her all the more tightly for it.

"Gem, what is it?"

"I love you, Morro," She said. She could have said it a thousand times, and it wouldn't have been enough. She turned her face toward his and pressed her lips to his cheek.

"And, that's why I have to let you go."

Morro stiffened as Gem used her mind control on him. It was hard, especially since she was still controlling Cryptor and Kozu in the background, but she knew Morro wouldn't go to the rift any other way.

"Gem," Morro growled, fighting against her control even as she forced him to stand up. "Gem, what are you- what are you _doing_? The contract- you promised never to- _never_ to-"

"I'm sorry, Morro," she said solemnly, but she felt a peace inside her that she hadn't felt in a very long time- if ever. "But, I know you want more than anything to be human again. I know you want to be a ninja. I know you want to see your Master Wu again-"

" _Stop it_!" Morro begged as she forced him to walk toward the Rift of Return. Away from her. "What I _want_ is to be with you!"

She could barely see him through her tears. But, she smiled. "I'll wait here until you get back."

"Gem!" Morro shouted- because there was nothing else he could say. He was standing at the very edge of the rift, so close that if he leaned even a little too far forward, he would fall in. " _Gem_! _Please_!"

"Goodbye, Morro," she said very quietly.

With one last little push from her, Gem watched as her brother fell into the rift without her.

And, a handful of moments later, the Rift of Return closed altogether, leaving the mountaintop as unremarkable as it had been before.

* * *

 **I… feel like I'm going to get a lot of hate for this chapter. ^_^;**

 **I'm actually pretty nervous about posting this, but I've got go ahead and do it before I lose my nerve! -_-; So I really hope you guys like the chapter! :D**


	23. Why

**Okay, first of all, for those of you who read Five Times Jay Cheered Someone Up: I AM SO SORRY! I'm telling you, I don't know if I've ever struggled with a chapter as much as I've struggled with Jay's. I've written it at least four different times and hated every one -_-; BUT, I *think* I've finally nailed down a concept for the chapter that I like, so I hope to post the last chapter no later than Monday! I'm really sorry, everyone!**

 **WARNING! This chapter contains a suicide attempt, which may be a trigger for some people. Please be aware of that before you read.**

 **Special thanks to Fay the great, Drawkill Vear and Lycaran, MightyShipper, ardhoniel. LotRStarWarsNinjago, RandomDragon2.0, KyraPlays, FirstFandomFangirl, Serpentine King, WindNinja333, DarkRed101, Peanut2196, LeUltimateNerd, TheYellowNinja, Star, Plumcicle, SpiritDragon, PraireSkies, and ILoveCheetos for reviewing! :D**

 **I will be replying to reviews tomorrow :D**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **MightyShipper: Haha, please don't kill me EVER! XD That being said, make sure to read the author's note at the bottom ;D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: Aw, thank you so much! I totally get what you mean about Yang :/ That scene I actually took almost directly from the show (Cole breaks the Yin Blade, Yang admits he doesn't want to be forgotten, Cole empathizes and forgives him, Yang lets Cole go through the rift without him) so I guess I should have put a different spin on it ^_^; Yes! I'm so glad you liked Gem's transformation (and caught the fact that letting Morro go without her was the ultimate representation of that transformation)! :3 I am very proud of her too :3 I think you're right about the coping though, as we'll see in this chapter. "INFINITELY better?!" AND I should be a Ninjago writer?! That means the WORLD to me! You are way too good to me! XD Thank you so much for your amazing reviews! :D**

 **Star: Aw, you thought the chapter was amazing?! Yay! But, sad also D': Ooh, I'm so glad you liked how I handled Yang! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Plumcicle: Haha, I'm so sorry someone was chopping onions in your presence while you were reading this XD Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **SpiritDragon: Haha, awesome and bittersweet was pretty much what I was going for XD Thank you so much for reviewing!**

* * *

The first thing Cole registered was the pain. His entire body ached, like he'd just endured Master Wu's infamous Full Body Workout of Death (Jay had added on the "of Death.")

He opened his eyes, though the piercing sunlight made him want to close them again and sleep for at least another year. He moved his hand toward his face- then stopped short when he spotted something red on his palm. Looking closely, he saw it was blood, and he tried to remember when he had cut-

Wait.

It was blood.

It was _blood_.

Warm, crimson, _human_ blood staining his tan, solid, _human_ skin.

He sat up and gasped for air, patting himself down as if to reassure himself that every single inch of him had come through the Rift of Return, not daring to believe lest he get his hopes up only to realize this was a simultaneously wonderful and cruel dream.

Finally, he pressed his fingers to his throat- and felt the pulse beating there.

He was alive.

He was _alive_.

" _Yes_!" He shouted, leaping from a sitting to position to at least three feet in the air in one movement. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, _yes_! Thank you, thank you, _thank you_ , I could _sing_ right-"

He froze when he saw the body face down on the ground.

Hurriedly, he took stock of his surroundings. They appeared to be in some isolated wooded area, sunlight barely filtering in through the canopy, and they were situated near the edge of a cliff. In fact, Cole might like to hike here someday… but it also meant that the body here probably had something to do with him.

Wait a second.

He knew those clothes, that long black hair…

Cole knelt beside the unconscious body, gently rolling him onto his back-

Morro. _Morro_. Morro, who he'd only ever known as a ghost. Morro as a _human_.

"Oh, why do I feel like I missed a lot…?" Cole whispered to himself, running his hand through his hair.

Suddenly, Morro moaned in his sleep, his eyes fluttering, and Cole laid both hands gently on his arm.

"Morro?" He asked softly, watching the former ghost's eyes try to focus on the boy leaning over him as he woke up. "Now, don't freak out, but… you're human."

Morro rubbed his eyes and, with Cole's assistance, sat up.

He looked down at his hands, felt the slight breeze, the heat of the sunlight on his skin…

"No," Morro whispered, turning his hands over and clutching at the rest of his body, searching for any proof that his ghostly attributes remained, whereas Cole had done the same thing, hoping for the opposite outcome. "No, no, no!"

Cole placed a hand on Morro's shoulder. "Morro, calm down. It's okay-"

"It's _not_ okay!" Morro snapped, slapping the hand away. "I promised to stay by her side forever and ever! But, she _made_ me…"

Morro trailed off, clutching at his hair in frustration.

Cole's eyes widened as he realized what Morro meant. With another quick glance around the clearing, he confirmed that Gem was nowhere in sight. Meaning she was still in the Departed Realm while Morro was here. And, "she made me" sounded like… mind control. No wonder Morro was upset.

Morro looked up suddenly. "I've got to get back there."

"Wait, what?!" Cole exclaimed- but Morro was already on his feet, stumbling toward the cliff. Cole's eyes widened as he realized what Morro intended to do, and he dove for the wind master-

Just as Morro threw one foot over the side, Cole snagged his shirt, yanking him backward and away from danger.

" _Let go of me_!" Morro roared as he struggled against Cole's grip. He was scrappy- Cole had to give him that- and he would have gotten away had it not been for Cole's super strength. As it was, Cole managed to lock both arms around Morro from behind, keeping Morro's arms by his side.

"Morro, stop it!" Cole barked as Morro tried to escape. The fight brought them both to the ground, and Cole found himself more or less on top of Morro as he tried to calm the wind master down long enough to listen to reason. "Do you really think Gem would have made you become human again just so you could turn around and throw it away?!"

Morro continued to try to wrestle Cole for only a few moments longer. Then, gradually, he became more and more docile in Cole's grasp as he realized escape was futile, finally resting his cheek against the ground.

" _Why_?" Morro demanded, and Cole could feel his chest rising and falling sporadically with shuddering breaths. "We were supposed to be together forever, so why did she…"

"She wanted you to live, Morro," Cole replied. He loosened his arms locked around Morro's chest, trying to transition from a grapple to an embrace as subtly as possible; trying to show Morro that, though he may have lost a sister for the time being, he had gained a brother. "She wanted you to live."

* * *

After the Rift of Return had closed, they began taking down the villains one by one. Gem was exhausted- no one questioned right away why she was still here when Morro was nowhere to be found- and only just managed to maintain her control over Cryptor and Kozu. So, while the generals were still distracted and distracting their respective armies, the ninja apprehended Chen. Garmadon took great pleasure in stealing the Dark Dagger from Kozu and using it to cut out Chen's Soul Stone.

They did the same with Samukai, then Kozu, and then Cryptor. Using the Soul Stones, they compelled the generals into ordering their armies to be still, and then they ordered all four to sit and be quiet while the others deliberated over their fate. The villains were more than happy to sulk in silence after suffering such a decisive and humiliating defeat.

It was an arduous and time-consuming process, confirming what Gem already knew. Even if they had utilized every second that the Rift of Return was open, there wouldn't have been enough time to be certain of victory- to be safe and happy and sure of her loved ones' safety- _and_ get through the rift.

The ninja watched Gem approach the group warily, the absence of Morro weighing on each of them heavily even if no one would mention it out loud.

She stopped in front of Nya. She smiled up at her.

"I remembered what you said," Gem told her, her voice very quiet. "Love is about sacrifice. I made Morro go without me."

Nya gasped in horror, guilt filling her stomach like ice water. "Oh, Gem, I'm sorry, I never meant for-"

"Just promise me that you'll take good care of him," Gem said.

She barely finished the sentence before she fell to her knees, sobbing. She buried her face in her hands, struggling to breathe as her eternity stretched out before her, as lonely as it had been before Morro had saved her from herself.

Nya crouched down, all of the animosity between her and Gem disappearing instantly as she pulled the little girl ghost into a hug. "That was so brave of you, Gem. We'll take good care of him, but it's going to be hard with him missing you every second of every day. And, when he dies, he's not even going to be sad, because it means he'll get to be with you again."

Gem's crying only intensified, but she buried her face in Nya's shirt.

Deciding to give the two some privacy, the others moved away to say their own goodbyes.

"So, Cole and Morro are waiting for us in Ninjago? As… humans?" Lloyd asked his father.

"Theoretically, yes," Garmadon replied. "Where, I have no idea, but I imagine they're together."

"We'll find them," Lloyd stated with conviction.

Garmadon smiled fondly, though it dropped into a worried frown when his eyes were drawn back to the bloody wound trailing from Lloyd's cheekbone down to his throat.

Lloyd, seeing his father's gaze, raised a hand self consciously to his face. "I don't blame you, Dad," he reassured. "I didn't want you to give it to them, no matter what."

Garmadon shook his head ruefully, "And, in all honesty, I shouldn't have." He yanked Lloyd into a hug, though he was careful with his injury. "But, you've always been my weakness, son."

Meanwhile, Jay and Lydia were standing together, and, though they were both considered chatter boxes by their loved ones, it seemed neither of them could find the right words to say.

"I know… I know we only spent a few days together, Jay," Lydia said, hesitantly reaching out for her son's hand. "And, I know it's not the same as, you know, sixteen years, but I just want you to know-"

"I love you, too," he said, laughing. Then, as if remembering something, he gasped and started digging through his pockets. "Wait, I almost forgot! I wanted to give this to you."

He presented a small gray and blue stone to her. "It's the Bone Keeper's."

Her eyes widened, and she looked back up at Jay in shock. "R-Really?"

"Yeah. He, uh, told me how you come see him every year," he explained sheepishly as Lydia reverently took the Soul Stone out of his hand. "I just thought that, if you had it, then you could make him tell you when, uh, Dad got here and when I got here- and then I can introduce you to my adoptive parents! Oh, you'll love them! And then-"

Lydia dove forward, showering Jay with kiss after kiss after kiss until Jay was squirming and squealing, "Mom, you're embarrassing me!"

She pulled away, holding the Soul Stone close to her chest. "Oh, thank you, sweetheart!" Stowing it carefully in her pocket, she cupped Jay's face with both her hands. "Listen, Jay, about your father… I think… After seeing what Gem did for Morro, I think I understand. When- or, I suppose, _if_ \- you ever meet him… tell him I forgive him. Or, here's a better idea!"

She turned away and called, "Hey, Doc! You wouldn't happen to have paper and a pen, would you?"

"I wouldn't be much of a scientist if I didn't!" Dr. Julien replied goodnaturedly, obediently presenting a pristine notepad and blue ballpoint pen from the pocket of his lab coat.

Zane laughed. "Always prepared, Father."

"Of course! As I hope I've taught you to be," Dr. Julien added, looking at Zane over the top of his glasses before breaking out into a grin. "Next time I see you, I hope you bring hundreds of stories of your adventures! Hey, and maybe next time, you'll finally be able to beat me at chess."

Zane sighed in mock-exasperation. "A nindroid with access to the records of every chess game ever recorded and somehow my father still manages to beat me in less than forty minutes."

Dr. Julien laughed. "One day, Zane." He pulled his son into a hug that Zane reciprocated just as tightly. "One day."

Kai leaned against the mustard yellow car, watching all of these goodbyes with a scowl on his face no matter how hard he tried to cover it up (though he couldn't for the life of him figure out when Jay and Lydia had gotten so close.)

The car creaked as someone else leaned against it, and he looked over to see Corrine, whom Dr. Julien had freed from her bonds during the battle.

"What do you want?" He asked, his voice coming out harsher than he had intended.

She sighed. "I won't try to explain myself again. We've been through this whole song and dance more than once. But, earlier… everything you said to me? About how a good mother should never abandon her child? It sounded like someone who cared about his brother, but also someone who… was speaking from experience."

Kai didn't say anything.

"I just wanted to tell you that…," she sighed, beginning again. "Did Cole ever tell you how I died?"

Kai pondered this question. "No. I think Jay might know."

"I was an alcoholic. I drank myself to death," she stated, and Kai started, eyes going wide. "Cole… For a long time, Cole thought it was his fault. So, I just wanted you to know, Kai…"

She placed her hand on his arm. His gut reaction was to shake it off… but he didn't. She seemed grateful when he allowed her to keep it there.

"Parents are just people. They're selfish and they make mistakes and sometimes they do wrong by their children." She tightened her grip on his arm. "But, there is also a love there that is impossible to find anywhere else, and that kind of love never goes away, Kai."

" _That's your heart, Kai. So, any time that you feel like I don't love you or you just feel sad, put your hand there. Every time your heart beats, that's me loving you. That's how you know love never goes away."_

"Wherever your mother is," Corrine continued. "She loves you, and it would break her heart if she ever thought you blamed yourself." She sighed ruefully. "I speak from experience."

When Kai didn't say anything, she patted his arm and pushed off the car-

"Thanks," he said, voice gruff. He shoved off the car as well to join his siblings who were gathering in anticipation of using the Realm Crystal. "I'm going to tell Cole what you did… but I'm also going to tell him why you did it."

Corrine smiled. "That's all I could have asked for."

"Well, ninja," Lloyd announced as he pulled out the Realm Crystal. "Ready to go hunt down some newly revived humans?"

Jay shrugged. "I didn't have anything planned for tonight anyway."

Gem came to stand beside Corrine, still rubbing her eyes. "If Morro dies before he's at least ninety seven, I'm going to find out how to haunt all of you."

"Glad to see you haven't lost your girlish charm," Nya joked, though she smiled genuinely down at Gem. The little girl offered a watery smile in return.

Lloyd activated the Realm Crystal, and, calling out their goodbyes one last time, the ninja jumped through the portal to Ninjago.

* * *

The five ninja hit the wood floor of the Destiny Bounty's den and had the wind completely knocked out of them. It didn't help that they were tangled in a mess of limbs- per usual- and the noise of their fighting naturally brought Misako and Master Wu running into the room.

"Are you kids alright?" Misako asked, plucking Lloyd from the groaning pile of ninja- and gasping in horror when she caught sight of his wounded face. "Lloyd! What happened?! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, Mom," Lloyd insisted as he hugged her. "Great, actually." He tightened his grip on her. "I got to see Dad."

Master Wu's eyes scanned the rest of his students who were slowly picking themselves up off the ground. "Where is Cole?"

The ninja shared a look.

"It's… kind of a long story, Sensei," Nya began. "But, there's also something else we need to tell you about…"

Wu raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Cole is here somewhere in Ninjago," Jay said nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "But, so is someone else…"

* * *

"Look!" Cole exclaimed, pointing. "They're here!"

After hiking two miles through wilderness to finally stumble across a sign of civilization, begging the people there to let them use what was apparently the only phone in the entire village, and then struggling over said phone with Zane for over thirty minutes as they tried to figure out where _here_ exactly was, the Destiny's Bounty was _finally_ coming into view, sailing over the trees.

Cole glanced over at his morose companion when Morro didn't respond. Morro had been understandably quiet since his pseudo-suicide attempt in the woods, and Cole couldn't find out what else to say to try to cheer him up.

He also noticed that Morro had three thin, white scars across his cheek. And, near the end of their hike, when both of them were sweating (and Cole had never been more grateful to sweat in his entire life) and exhausted, Cole had also noticed that Morro had a very slight limp, as if his left leg was bothering him. The time between losing his memory and regaining it was all very hazy for Cole, but he seemed to recall something about Morro being injured. Apparently, though the rift had healed him, it couldn't erase the memory of those injuries.

The former ghost did stand up from where they had been sitting on a log just outside of the village to wait for the arrival of the ship and followed Cole toward it as they went to meet it…

Then stopped.

Cole jumped when he realized Morro was no longer beside him, backtracked the few steps back to Morro, and looked at him questioningly.

"I can't do this," Morro announced, shaking his head.

"Huh?" Cole asked as, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Destiny's Bounty stop more or less above them and lower itself to the ground.

Morro gave Cole a long-suffering look as if the answer was obvious. "He's not going to want to see me."

Cole knew instantly to whom Morro was referring- and balked incredulously. "What do you mean? Of _course_ he will."

"No," Morro shook his head again, turning on his heel. "No, I can't. I'm not-"

The door to the Destiny's Bounty exploded open and suddenly all of the ninja were flooding over the side and sprinting to meet them.

"Cole! Morro!" Jay exclaimed excitedly, reaching Cole first and tackling his brother in a bear hug. "Wow, there's something different about you two. New haircut?"

Jay squeaked when Cole reciprocated the hug with (most) of his super strength, lifting the blue ninja clear off the ground and cutting off the air supply to his lower half. "Yeah, thanks for noticing."

The other ninja piled onto Cole as well. They might have greeted Morro in a similar way if the ghost hadn't had his back turned to them, taking halting steps away from the Destiny's Bounty and clearly giving off an air of " _Don't touch me._ "

"Morro."

The wind master jumped, immediately freezing at the voice.

The ninja paused in their reunion, watching with bated breath as Master Wu approached Morro, who had yet to turn around. Master Wu was nothing if not inscrutable, and they honestly were not sure how he would react to the sight of his long-lost student's new human appearance.

Master Wu waited.

Eventually, Morro turned around, though he kept his eyes trained on the ground and did not dare meet his former sensei's eyes.

"I won't stay," he stated, and the ninja shared looks with each other that were equal parts concerned and confused. "I mean, maybe just a day or two until I figure… figure _something_ out, but then I'll leave."

Master Wu pondered this announcement, pensively stroking his long white beard.

"Why would you leave?" He asked after a sufficient silence had passed. "This is your home."

The ninja smiled- until they noticed that Morro, still without raising his eyes, shook his head again. "After everything I've done…"

"Those who you have wronged have forgiven you," Master Wu pointed out, gesturing at Lloyd though Morro didn't catch the movement seeing as he was still staring at the ground.

Morro suddenly swiped at his face in frustration. The ninja gaped at each other. Morro, who was tough as nails, who hadn't batted an eye at the thought of getting tortured, who had endured who knows what in the Cursed Realm and came out as the unofficial right hand man of the Preeminent…

Was _crying_?

"But, _you_ …," Morro insisted, unable to continue lest he lose the last shred of his composure.

Master Wu shuffled forward so that he was standing directly in front of Morro. Morro stubbornly kept his face toward the ground.

"Morro, I never should have told you about the Green Ninja, especially at such a young age. I became overzealous, and I pushed you too hard, too young, too fast. And, when that ultimately led you down a dark path, I did not stop you. I should have gone after you. I should have found you, I should have brought you back, I should have convinced you that you didn't need to be the Green Ninja. That you were perfect the way you were. But, these were my failings, not yours."

Morro finally raised his face, meeting Wu's eyes purely out of shock.

"So, Morro," Wu smiled gently at him. "Will you forgive me?"

Morro stared.

Then, that last shred of composure he had been clinging to so desperately went flying out the window. His face crumpled before he covered his eyes with his arm, trying to stifle the sobs that had been waiting an eternity to be released.

Wu stepped forward and hugged him, and Morro clung to his sensei like his life depended on it, crying into his shirt as if he was that innocent, starving eight year old all over again.

The other ninja discreetly reentered the Destiny's Bounty, leaving the two in private.

* * *

 **Honestly, wanting to see Morro and Wu reunite "properly" was a huge inspiration for this fic XD This was probably the first scene I thought up in the whole story XD**

 **I'm very sad to say that there are only two chapters left of Broken Circle. D':**

 **That being said...**

 **I honestly would really enjoy writing another sequel! With getting all the hard work of Morro becoming human again out of the way, it only seems fair he should be featured in a story, no? I *do* have a basic plot blocked out, so please let me know if you would like to read a sequel! :D**


	24. Scars

**I'm really sad that this is the second to last chapter of Broken Circle D': I am happy to announce that, barring extreme and unforeseeable circumstances, there will be another sequel! I haven't started yet, but I know *basically* where I want to go with it! As was the situation with Broken Circle, there will be a (hopefully not too long) break before the sequel is posted so I can get *most* of it written! Thank you all for your awesome support! I would have never considered a sequel without all of your incredibly kind words!**

 **Special thanks to: MightyShipper, evelinaonline, Fay the great, Serpentine King, DarkRed101, RandomDragon2.0, FirstFandomFangirl, Zena Airale, KyraPlays, aura-w, Ebony umbreon, PrairieSkies, WindNinja333, LeUltimateNerd, Plumcicle, TheYellowNinja, Guest, Star, ILoveCheetos, Peanut2196, SpiritDragon, Astrid16, SweetHeart114, and Fxreflies for reviewing! I really will never be able to tell you guys enough how much all your reviews mean to me!**

 **I wlll try to reply to reviews (along with the reviews from Jay's Five Times) after posting this! That being said, I am going on a mini road trip tomorrow and not sure I will be able to finish :/ If I fall asleep before responding, know that I WILL even if it's several days from now XD  
**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **MightyShipper: Haha, I'm really sad it's ending too, but don't worry! The sequel is on its way! :D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Plumcicle: Yay! I'm so glad you're excited for a sequel! I am very excited about writing it :D Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: Haha, yay, I'm glad you're excited! Cole and Morro are human again! (Even though Morro almost *wasn't* again -_-;) Gem and Nya definitely had to hash out their differences. Don't worry, we will go into further detail about Lydia and Jay's situation with Cliff! (Wow, Jay really does have a lot of people who care about :3) Haha, I'm glad you liked Zane epicly failing at chess XD Kai definitely should have been harsher on his dad XD I'm so happy you liked Morro and Wu's reunion, since I really loved writing it! :3 Oh my gosh, you are way too kind! You really made my day with your review! :D Yay, I'm so happy you're out of school! :D I was struggling extra hard with Jay's chapter :/ Thank you SO MUCH for this INCREDIBLY NICE REVIEW! :D**

 **Guest: I'm very glad you asked! I'll go into more detail in the ending author's note, but I'm actually leaning toward doing both an "adventure" sequel and a one shot series! Haha, no worries, Morro trying to learn more about technology is definitely on the list XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Star: Oh my gosh, that's totally what Gem would do XD I'm so glad you liked Morro and Wu's reunion! I loved writing it :3 Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **SpiritDragon: Hey, there's never any pressure to review! Gem and Morro will meet again :D I'm so glad you liked it! (And the part with Lloyd almost killing himself D':) Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

Morro glared warily at the shower that was spouting steam that he supposed would have been inviting to someone who had not spent the last twenty five years of his afterlife avoiding water like the plague.

Considering that he and Cole were both dirty and sweaty after hiking two miles through a forest and rolling around in the dirt, they had been told in no uncertain terms to take showers. Cole had gone first, and he seemed to revel in _finally_ being able to touch water again. He spent at least half an hour, and his singing could be heard from pretty much anywhere on the Bounty.

Then, it was Morro's turn.

He reached out a hand, hissing when a stream of hot water hit his palm. It took him a moment to reconcile himself with the fact that it hadn't _hurt_ ; in fact, it was almost… _soothing_.

Cautiously, Morro stepped into the shower.

He spent the first two minutes straight studying the shampoo bottle and trying to figure out how any self-respecting group of guys could use a shampoo called "Berrylicious." (He had a sneaking suspicion Kai had something to do with it.)

And, though it was only a shampoo bottle, Morro couldn't help but feel that it represented his situation perfectly. There was so much about the ninja he didn't _get_. They had worked together for so long, and Morro knew there was more to every touch, glance, word, _feeling_ shared between them than he could ever hope to understand.

They were a jigsaw puzzle that was already solved. So, where did Morro's piece fit?

Morro spent no more than five minutes in the shower, as if he believed that at any moment the water would cease to be the soothing, benign thing it was and become an acid that would burn or even kill him.

Morro, of course, did not have any clothes of his own on the Destiny's Bounty, and so the ninja had all but thrown their extra articles of clothing at him. Kai's jeans were a size too big, and they kept inching down past his waist. Lloyd's green t-shirt (the irony of Lloyd giving him something green to wear was not lost on him) was half a size too small. Cole's black hoodie was approximately three million sizes too big with the way he swam in it, and the sleeves ended at least an inch past his fingertips.

Morro cringed when he looked at himself in the mirror, thinking he looked like a kid that had gotten some hand-me-downs a little too early. But, it was all he had.

Leaning closer to the mirror, he ran his hand gently over the three horizontal scars across his cheek. Turning around and raising his hoodie and t-shirt, he looked over his shoulder to see an Anacondrai shaped scar stretching across his back as well. He didn't have to roll up his pant leg to know his left leg was probably in the same condition, especially considering he felt a twinge of pain if he stepped on it in a certain way.

Scars, huh? He supposed if he could pick one word to sum up his entire self, that would be it.

Keeping one hand locked firmly on the waistband of his jeans, he headed out of the bathroom in search of the ninja.

He was surprised to find them not in the den or any of their bedrooms but gathered in some sort of storage room, if the boxes stacked nearly to the ceiling and the layer of dust was anything to go off of.

"Morro!" Jay exclaimed when he noticed Morro standing in the doorway. The ninja jumped as if he caught them doing something bad, and Cole dropped the box he had been carrying- and then cringed when there was the distinct sound of glass shattering.

Jay leaned against the wall in what was probably supposed to be a nonchalant gesture but only succeeded in making him appear more awkward. "Um. How are you feeling?"

"Like I'm wearing someone else's clothes," Morro grumbled, rolling up the sleeves of Cole's hoodie so he could then pull up Kai's jeans.

Zane straightened, and quickly exited the room without a word. Before any of them could ask after his motive, the nindroid returned with black belt in hand and gave it to Morro.

The wind master flashed him a grateful glance before threading the belt through the belt loops of Kai's jeans. As he tightened the belt ( _Geez, was he really that skinny?_ ) , he sighed and said, "Look, before… _this_ goes any further, I just want to say…," Morro huffed frustratedly. "Look, I know you guys have, like, a _thing_ , and I don't want to, you know, mess it up or anything, so don't think that I expect to be, like, suddenly a part of it or something."

Once Morro had finished securing the belt, he looked up to see the ninja exchanging funny, little smiles as if they were trying not to laugh at him, and Morro instantly felt embarrassed for his lack of social graces.

Kai marched up to him and slung an arm around his neck, joining him in facing the cramped room filled to the brim with boxes. "Well, we were kind of hoping you would take a longer shower-"

"I tried to tell them we wouldn't be able to get it ready in time," Nya interjected.

" _But_ ," Kai continued, glaring at his sister. "What do you think of your new room?"

Morro blinked. His room. _His_ room.

"It's a little bit smaller than the others, and of course we'll have to finish finding someplace else to put all these boxes, and then we'll have to get you a bed and all that, but still. What do you think?"

While he had been taking a shower and contemplating his place in the world, all the ninja had been in here (even Lloyd) fixing up a bedroom for him.

And, that's when Morro got his first lesson in the ninja's unspoken communication. Because when he shrugged and said, "It's okay, I guess," he really meant, _"I love it_ ," and he knew the ninja knew that.

* * *

Morro sat on a park bench, studying the unlit lantern in his hand. They received many odd stares from the other occupants of Ninjago City Park, as if no one had the heart to tell them that Day of the Departed was _yesterday_ , but none of the ninja paid them any mind.

Morro glanced up to see what the other ninja were doing. Kai and Nya were laying in the grass, probably reminiscing about the few memories of their parents they had. Jay was walking around the pond with his parents, gesticulating wildly as he told them about something very exciting. (When Jay had introduced his parents as Ed and Edna Walker, Morro had turned to Jay and said, "Wait, your last name is Walker? As in _Jay Walker_?" Morro and the other ninja had dissolved into roaring laughter, while Jay had stomped off, apparently having heard the joke multitudinous times before.) Lloyd, Zane, and Misako were setting out the food they had brought.

Cole and his dad were sitting on a picnic blanket, talking. Morro didn't miss the way Lou seemed to be constantly touching Cole's arm, shoulder, leg, as if to reassure himself of his son's renewed solidity. Morro imagined Cole was telling him all about Corrine.

(The ninja had filled Cole in on everything that he had missed during his amnesiatic episode. Kai had informed Cole that Corrine did betray them but that she had done it only to save his life. Cole had kept his face carefully neutral, but they all knew that if drinking herself to death and inadvertently causing Cole to think it was his fault didn't taint his love for her, nothing would.)

Morro knew he didn't have the claim to her that Cole did, but he still felt a pang in his chest when he thought of Corrine's betrayal. And, yet, he still found himself hoping that she would take care of Gem.

 _Gem..._

Suddenly, someone sat beside Morro, and he looked up to see Master Wu, watching the scene taking place before him just as Morro was.

"All these years, and somehow you still know exactly when something's bothering me," Morro remarked with a smirk. It was so _natural._ As if nothing had happened between them. As if it was just another early morning before training, sharing a cup of tea.

"Loss is always easy to see in someone else," Wu replied sagely, stroking his beard.

Morro tightened his grip on the lantern, though he was careful not to rip it. Zane had handed him the lantern wordlessly, and Morro knew that each one was supposed to represent a lost loved one. If only it had been her instead of this placeholder, this _thing_ that was supposed to represent every night they'd stayed up, whispering secrets to each other that no one- not even Master Wu- knew; every time she had complained about being tired when they were traveling, even though they both knew she only said it because she wanted Morro to scoop her up in his arms and carry her until she fell asleep; every time Morro came back from running an errand and she leapt into his arms because she had been so deathly afraid that Morro had left her for good.

And this time, he had.

"Morro?"

He looked up to see that the ninja had gathered around him without him noticing.

Nya nodded at the lantern in his hands. "We're about to let them go. Do you want to… say a few words about her first? She did save the day."

He hesitated, and just when the ninja were about to give up-

"Chrysanthemum."

"Huh?" Kai asked, echoing all of their confusion.

Morro smirked. "What, you didn't think Gem was her real name, did you?"

Realization dawned on them, and they gaped at each other.

"She told me not to call her that, because her mom called her that and her mom had drowned her in the bathtub on the morning of her sixth birthday. So, I didn't, but I wanted to. I wanted to show her that she wasn't a gem but a _flower_ , growing and beautiful and _alive_ …"

Morro trailed off, throat closing up.

"That was beautiful, Morro," Nya told him gently. "I think she would have loved it."

Kai placed a hand on his shoulder, igniting a flame on his other thumb. "Ready?"

Morro obediently stood up and held his lantern out, which Kai lit, as he did with the others' lanterns as well.

"Ready?" Lloyd called out. "Three… Two…"

"Ah, I let mine go too early!" Jay exclaimed as one rebellious lantern floated into the sky.

"Way to go, butterfingers," Cole snapped, shoving Jay playfully.

"Shut up, Dirt Clod!" He retorted, smacking the lantern out of Cole's hand so it joined its wayward twin in the sky.

"Hey!" Cole shouted, watching his lantern make its getaway for only a moment before tackling Jay and wrestling with him on the ground.

The other ninja laughed, releasing their lanterns as well.

Morro closed his eyes.

 _Wait for me,_ he thought, trying to infuse the lantern with his unspoken words, as if that way it could traverse time and space and be heard by the person it was meant for. _Wait for me, no matter how long it takes, and I will find you._

And with that, he let it go, where it joined its five brothers in the sky, all gleaming like lost souls on their way home until they became indistinguishable from stars.

* * *

Lloyd peeked into the den the next morning along with his four brothers and sister, as if half believing the previous day had been a dream.

But, there was Morro, sleeping on the couch, as he would be until his room was habitable. He was lying on his stomach, his arm dangling over the edge and his fingers trailing on the floor, wrapped up in the throw blanket they always left draped over the back of the couch, and Lloyd had to admit he had never seen Morro look so… peaceful.

"Hey," Kai whispered, grinning. "Let's scare him."

Zane frowned. "That's not nice, Kai."

"C'mon, it'll be funny!" Cole insisted, grinning in anticipation. "Right, Jay?"

"Nuh uh, no way! Last time I woke him up, he almost broke my arm!" The blue ninja protested emphatically, shaking his head repeatedly. "No, thanks!"

"You guys are acting like he's the newest member of your fraternity," Nya said irritably, crossing her arms. "We don't _haze_ people."

"Oh, c'mon, killjoy, we're not _hazing_ him," Kai retorted, placing his hands on his hips. "It's all in good fun."

Lloyd stayed quiet. Once upon a time, he might have jumped at the chance to scare Morro; the former ghost had done his fair share of scaring, after all. But, looking at Morro sleeping so peacefully in their living room- not like he was having a nightmare, not like he was expecting an attack at any second, but just _sleeping_ \- Lloyd found he felt no desire to disrupt that.

He also didn't want his brothers to think he was a prude, though.

Thankfully, he didn't have to put a stop to it.

"You know, for ninja, you guys are awfully loud."

They simultaneously jumped and turned around to see Morro awake now. He glared at them before rolling over so he was facing the back of the couch, as if they weren't worth his time.

He spoke loudly enough so they could still understand him, though. "And keep in mind that I was a master of stealth before any of you were even _born_. You couldn't sneak up on me if you're life depended on it."

"Oh, right, I forgot we had a senior citizen on the team now," Jay joked as the ninja filtered into the room, any fear from before disappearing now that he knew Morro was awake.

"Yeah, Morro, you'd better get up now or you'll miss the early bird special!" Kai added, laughing.

Morro sat up suddenly, a supremely annoyed expression on his face. " _Really_? Old jokes? Is that how it's going to be from now on?"

"Yep, pretty much," Kai replied unhelpfully.

"I don't understand. Why would Morro go to the early bird special when I can cook him a perfectly good meal here?" Zane asked innocently.

Nya shook her head in exasperation. "Zane, you really are hopeless, aren't you?"

"Speaking of Zane's cooking…," Cole led in, throwing an arm around Zane's shoulders. "Think you could whip us up a little breakfast, bro?"

"It would be my pleasure," Zane replied cheerfully, leading the way to the kitchen. The other ninja made to follow…

When Lloyd felt a hand snag his wrist.

As his siblings continued without him, Lloyd turned around to see a very uncomfortable looking Morro.

"Look, I just wanted to let you know… With training starting up sooner or later, I want you to know that I'm not going to step on your toes." Morro took a deep breath, as if the next thing he was going to say was almost too painful to force out. "If you lead… I'll follow."

It was a simple enough statement, but Lloyd knew better than anyone that Morro had lived his life by _his_ rules, had not let even Destiny itself tell him what he could or could not be.

So, the fact that he was making a point of submitting to Lloyd's leadership…

"I meant what I said," Lloyd said by way of acceptance, moving to place his hand on Morro's shoulder. "Don't get me wrong, it's going to be weird at first, but you're our brother, Morro. You're _my_ brother."

Morro grinned before clearing his throat and passing Lloyd as he headed toward the kitchen. "Well, don't get used to all this emotional stuff," he said over his shoulder to Lloyd to hide exactly how much being claimed as a brother meant to him. "I can't stand emotional stuff."

Lloyd rolled his eyes but followed regardless. "No more emotional stuff. Got it."

As they entered the kitchen, though, they saw Jay stand up and, after sharing one more meaningful look with Nya, who nodded encouragingly, he said, "There's something I need to tell you guys…" He smiled sheepishly. "It's about Lydia…"

* * *

 **Which we'll explore next chapter :D (Which is also the last chapter D':)  
**

 **So, as I stated above, there will be a sequel to Broken Circle (no official title yet, though I have an idea...) that will be an adventure story, like both Lost Soul and Broken Circle.**

 **That being said, I've had a few ideas bouncing around in my head for fluffy oneshots about the ninja getting to know Morro better. SO, I *might* post a separate story that will get updated whenever I need a break from the actual sequel or just have an idea that needs to get out of my head (i.e. not regularly) about Morro being a human and living with the ninja :D I'm thinking every chapter would be about the ninja learning something new about Morro (just little quirks that I headcanon or, hey, even suggestions/requests from you guys! :3)**

 **Let me know if you'd like to read that as well! BUT, I'M NOT MAKING ANY PROMISES, as the official sequel is the top priority at the moment!**

 **I'll save all the heartfelt goodbyes for the last chapter, but it is with a heavy heart that I post this penultimate chapter D': Thank you guys for reading! :D**


	25. Come Back to Me

**Okay, first of all, I AM SO SORRY ABOUT BEING LATE! There were a combination of things that prevented me from posting: I wanted to reply to all the reviews, the road trip I was on for the past few days really put me behind because I didn't have my computer, AND there were a few things I wanted to add to this chapter, so I didn't want to rush to post it without it being FINISHED finished, especially with it being the last chapter and all.**

 **But, here it is! The final chapter of Broken Circle! I really hope you guys enjoy it! :D**

 **Special thanks to: MightyShipper, evelinaonline, WindNinja333, FirstFandomFangirl, KyraPlays, RandomDragon2.0, Fxreflies, LeUltimateNerd, Peanut2196, PraireSkies, Abcsilly, SweetHeart114, Breeze015, Plumcicle, TheYellowNinja, Guest, ABCSKW123-IX, Star, Israa, Katla1 for reviewing! :D You guys are truly amazing for taking the time to let me know how I'm doing :D**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **MightyShipper: Yay, I'm so glad I could give you a birthday present! :D Happy birthday, and I hope you enjoy this last chapter as well! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Plumcicle: Yay, I'm glad you like the idea of a one shot series about Morro! That is such a cute head canon! :3 Thanks for sharing and reviewing! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: Haha, I thought Cole would be too excited to be scared XD Morro has certainly been through a lot, but at least he is finally getting to be a part of the ninja and Wu's family again :3 Yep, we finally got Gem's real name! I'm glad you like it :D And, Jay FINALLY comes clean! The sequel is DEFINITELY top priority (though it will still be a while before I can post :/) And the one shots will just be fun ideas that pop into my head, so I'm glad you're okay with a random update schedule :D I definitely love your reviews! "Godly?!" You're making me blush XD Thank you SO MUCH for your AWESOME reviews! :D**

 **Guest: Aw, thank you so much! I'm glad you liked how I dealt with Morro becoming human again :D It was super fun for me to write :D Hm... I don't think I want to reveal what the sequel is about *quite* yet ;D But keep your eye out for it! I had a ton of fun on my trip! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Star: Yay! I'm super excited about writing it :D The sequel will have a double name like Lost Soul or Broken Circle, but I haven't officially decided on it yet ;D Thank you so much for reviewing :D**

 **Israa: Hey, no problem at all! Believe me, I know how school gets, so please don't apologize! I've been great since I've been on summer vacation, thanks for asking! :D Thank you so much for your kind words! :D**

* * *

"There's something I need to tell you guys…" Jay smiled sheepishly. "It's about Lydia…"

Nya and Zane shared knowing smiles while the others looked confused.

"What about her?" Kai asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jay huffed. "I'm _getting_ to that, Kai. A little patience, please?"

Kai rolled his eyes but gestured for Jay to continue.

" _Anyway_ , Lydia is… well, um… Lydia is… uh…"

"Will you spit it out, Motor Mouth?" Cole snapped and crossed his arms.

Jay glared at Cole but obediently took a deep breath and began again. "Well, it turns out that I was adopted when I was a baby and I recognized Lydia as the Master of Lightning from some old pictures and so, of course, she's my mother and I wasn't sure how to tell you guys since I didn't want to tell her at first, but I did and I thought that I should tell you guys, so here it is."

Four pairs of eyes blinked back at him.

"Um. _What_?!" Kai exclaimed, echoing all of their thoughts.

"Lydia is your _mom_?" Cole demanded. "And, you knew _the whole time_?!"

Morro smacked himself in the forehead. "It was so obvious! I knew she reminded me of someone."

"You're adopted?" Lloyd asked, apparently still processing the first part of Jay's ramblings. "How did you find out?"

Jay shared a nervous glance with Nya. They had discussed the possibility of trying to tell the others about Nadakhan and the alternate timeline but decided that, after such an intense and trying adventure in the Departed Realm and the new challenge of trying to integrate Morro into the team, such a startling and unbelievable story could wait for another day, if they ever told them at all.

"My parents- my adoptive parents- just thought it was time I knew," Jay lied with a sheepish shrug. "I just… didn't want to tell anybody at the time. It was kind of a life-changing revelation, heh…"

"That's fair," Cole agreed, nodding to show Jay that, despite his initial shock, he supported his best friend.

"Wait, did you two already know?" Kai asked, finally noticing Zane's and Nya's lack of surprise.

"I figured it out on my own," Zane explained apologetically. "Facial recognition software comes in handy in that regard."

Kai frowned. "That's not fair."

"Jay accidentally told me," Nya offered.

"Because she was _jealous_ ," Jay added teasingly.

Kai started, suddenly going pale. He placed his head in his hands. "I thought Jay's mom was hot… Ew…"

Cole patted his shoulder sympathetically. "Same here, bro."

"Do you…," Everyone looked up when Lloyd trailed off. "Do you know who your dad is? It's okay if you don't want to say if you do know."

Zane also looked at Jay curiously, seeing as he didn't know the answer to this question either.

Jay scratched the back of his neck. "Um… Cliff Gordon…?"

"Cliff Gordon is your dad?!" Lloyd all but screamed, which caused Morro, who had been standing next him, to jump about three feet in the air and the others to look at him in alarm.

"Sorry," Lloyd apologized, blushing. "I, uh, had a fanboy moment there."

"Um, who's Cliff Gordon?" Morro asked, clutching his newly beating heart as if to make sure it hadn't stopped (again).

"Cliff Gordon is a famous actor," Jay explained, "who stars in a lot of movies that Lloyd and I love."

Morro leaned down to Zane and whispered, "What's a movie?"

"Have you ever met him?" Cole asked as Zane quietly summarized what a movie was for Morro.

Jay once again glanced nervously at Nya. "...no."

Cole raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to?"

"I… I don't know," Jay admitted, studying the tabletop intently. "I mean… he's the one that gave me up. I don't know if he'd even want to see me."

Kai stood up suddenly, grabbing both of Jay's shoulders in a vice grip. "You have to go, Jay."

Jay shook his head. "But-"

"If he gave you up because he didn't want you, then he should have face exactly what he left behind, see the person that you became without him and regret what he did," Kai stated steadfastly. "If he didn't want to give you up… then he wants more than anything to meet you now. And, maybe you guys can still have something."

Kai shook his brother. "But, don't pass up the chance, Jay. You have a chance to meet your father, and I promise you, you will regret it if you don't take it."

Jay looked up into Kai's face, seeing how much his brother longed for the chance to see his own father again, to tell him how much they missed him, to demand to know how he could have abandoned them.

"Okay." Jay took a deep, shaky breath. "I'll go."

* * *

Cliff Gordon had not aged well.

Not that forty one was old by any means, but in the world of acting, he might as well have been a hundred and seventy five. It wasn't just time that had gotten to him, though. Too many parties, too many failed stunts, too many sleepless nights and long flights, and certainly too much alcohol and other pills he couldn't remember taking.

Though the makeup artists could hide his sickly appearance, no amount of makeup could hide how he felt like his own body was rejecting him, how every movement was much harder than it should have been for a man his age, how every time he went to the doctor, he was terrified the doctor would look at his clipboard and say, "Unfortunately…"

(He detested doctors ever since they had found him and told him, "Your son is alive and healthy, but there were complications…")

At the moment, he was even hobbling around on a cane. His agent had advised against attempting the stunt, but he was Cliff Gordon and Cliff Gordon abhorred the thought of using a stunt double. Needless to say, it hadn't ended well.

He sighed in relief as his mansion came into view. He'd just left some convention or press conference or autograph signing- was it concerning he couldn't remember which one? Probably yes, but it might have also been that he just didn't care anymore. At one point, he had embraced Fritz Donnegan like he was a long lost twin or the other half of his own self, as all good actors did. Now, he just wanted to draw the blinds, turn over in bed, and tell Fritz Donnegan to go find someone else to possess. _Cliff Gordon's not here right now, feel free to leave a message_.

One of his bodyguards opened the car door for him and the other helped him out of the car. He was supposed he should have been embarrassed being helped like an invalid at forty one years old, and he certainly would have refused the help had they been in public, but as was quickly becoming the theme of his life, he couldn't bring himself to care anymore.

They walked up the sidewalk toward the front door-

When suddenly his bodyguards threw themselves in front of him.

"State your business," One of them demanded in his trademark baritone. "How did you find this place?"

Cliff, mildly annoyed that his peaceful night was ending before it even started, peered around one of his bodyguards to see who was trespassing-

His heart stopped.

No, no, surely it was a trick of the light. Were hallucinations a side effect of his new prescription?

The teenager was shifting his weight anxiously, but then he met Cliff Gordon's eyes.

Those were Lydia's eyes.

For all his nervousness, the young man's voice did not waver when he said, "I know."

That was all he said. The bodyguards seemed ready to wrestle the kid to the ground and taze him for giving such a vague reply- but Cliff placed his hand on one of their shoulders. "It's alright. In fact, why don't you two take the rest of the night off?"

The bodyguards shared incredulous looks. "Sir, I don't think-"

"Go," Cliff commanded not unkindly, already moving past them. "I'll be quite alright here."

The bodyguards hesitated, but they could not defy their boss's direct order. Nodding respectfully, they took their leave.

Cliff didn't speak as he let the two of them in the house, simply because he didn't know what to say. As they entered the mansion, though, he felt suddenly and completely ashamed of the opulence. The statue of himself, the sixty inch TV with surround sound, the art, the furniture, _every inch_ of the house was a mark of wealth, of extravagance, a gross excess that a much younger Cliff Gordon was convinced would fill the void his wife and son had left inside him.

And, he had left Jay in a _junkyard_.

"Sit," he said, gesturing to the couch (the couch alone had been at least five thousand dollars. Something about imported leather.) His voice was thin, the weakest of barriers holding back sixteen years of bottled up emotions. "Can I, uh, get you something to drink?"

Jay, sitting on the edge of the couch as if afraid to damage it, seemed about to respond… until his eyes dropped to the cane. "No, thanks. I'm good."

Cliff sighed. He sank onto the couch beside Jay- not close enough to touch but not far enough to get rid of the possibility altogether.

"I'm, uh…," he chuckled bitterly, running his hand over his face. "I'm not quite sure where to start… Jay." He tested out the word, and Jay stiffened at the sound of it. Cliff wished more than anything that he could say his son's name without surprising him, that he had _been there_ to say it, that he had said the name in chastisement, in praise, with disappointment, with _love_ like a father should…

He closed his eyes, still attempting to keep everything, _everything_ at bay so he could hold a simple conversation with his son. "I suppose a good place to start is how you found out. Ed and Edna finally told you?"

Jay laughed nervously. "No, they didn't. I, uh, don't really think that's a good place to start. I think we should start with…" Jay reached into his pocket and pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of paper that had been folded once in half. "So, um…, you know I'm a ninja… right?"

Cliff smiled. "Yes. I've followed your adventures in the papers. Everything you and your friends have done for Ninjago is just…," he faltered, his voice becoming husky. Jay was smiling at him, though, so he finished quietly, "incredible."

Jay cleared his throat, tightening his grip on the paper in his hands. "So, then, you know that some… pretty impossible things happen around us, right? Things that… are unnatural and that we can't really explain? Well, um," He held the paper out to Cliff. "Just keep that in mind when you read."

Raising an eyebrow, Cliff accepted the piece of paper. Something was written on the front of it-

Cliff Gordon stopped breathing.

 _To the cocky idiot I fell in love with_

He knew that nickname, that handwriting, could hear her voice saying that exact phrase as clear as day…

He looked back at Jay, tears already blurring his vision. Jay smiled awkwardly, shrugging helplessly. "I met her," he whispered by way of explanation.

Cliff reverently opened the letter. The message wasn't terribly long.

 _Cliff,_

 _If you haven't noticed, I'm a little bit dead. But, our son is here. (Don't ask me to explain- you never really got all my ninja babble anyway.) He's so beautiful, Cliff. I was a little afraid that being here so long without him, I wouldn't feel anything when he finally got here. That I would have gone numb or something to being a mother, like there was a time limit on loving someone else._

 _But, it's not like that at all, Cliff. I've only known him for a few days, and I love him more than I've ever loved anything- or, I don't know. It's impossible to describe the feeling, but if you're reading this now, then you know what I'm talking about._

 _At first I was angry at you when he told me that you left him up for adoption, but I understand now, Cliff, I promise I do. I remember how we were living… And to raise him without a mother… You had to do what was best for him. If you love someone as much as I know you loved Jay (yes, I love the name. Thanks for not naming him Cliff Junior), then you have to let them go._

 _And, you left him with people who love him as much as we do! Tell me you can't see it in his face! Er, don't tell me because you can't, but- you know what I mean._

 _We let him go, and he came back to us, Cliff. One day, you'll come back to me too._

 _Love,_

 _Lydia_

Tears were streaming down Cliff's face, so much so that he had to set the letter to aside to safeguard against smearing its blue ink with his tears.

He turned to Jay, who seemed to be tearing up himself at watching his father so distraught, and suddenly all the awkwardness of strangers was gone. Lydia had done what Lydia always did _somehow_ , and now it was just a father and his son sitting on the couch, trying to build- or maybe _repair_ \- some bridge between them.

"Jay," Cliff addressed, wiping at his face so he might be able to see his son better. "Jay, I… you'll never know how much I wanted to keep you. I was poor; I was _dirt poor_. Every day was one day closer to eviction, and I couldn't stand how you cried at night because you were so hungry, without even a mother to feed you. It killed me, Jay, and I knew- I knew I couldn't let you suffer because I could not provide for you."

Jay wiped his own face with his sleeve, but Cliff continued, needing to _tell_ someone after so many years of hiding it, of burying the pain with alcohol and money and women that he always pretended were Lydia.

"I knew Ed and Edna were good people," Cliff insisted. "I boarded with them a few years before. I knew how badly they wanted a baby. I knew they would love you. I wouldn't have given you to them unless I _knew_ , Jay."

Jay nodded. "They do," he choked out. "I think I take them for granted, but they do."

"After that, I was ready to die," Cliff admitted, placing his head in his hands. "I went to audition after audition, but nobody wanted me and I knew that I couldn't go on like that much longer."

He laughed cruelly at himself. "And, then I got the call. They wanted me to play Fritz Donnegan. A _movie star_." He looked up at Jay. "And, then I knew what a terrible mistake I had made."

He grabbed his son's shoulders. "You know I would trade _everything_ to have you and Lydia in my life, right? This?" He gestured at the house as a whole. "This doesn't mean anything to me. I would give it all away if it meant I could do it all over again."

Jay nodded. "I know, Dad."

Cliff's heart leapt at the word, and he impulsively pulled Jay into a hug. Jay immediately and eagerly reciprocated, as if he had been wanting to do that since before the meeting ever started.

"I'm so proud of you, Jay," He said quietly. "I gave you away, but I never stopped loving you."

* * *

Eight weeks later, Cliff Gordon died.

Fanboys everywhere mourned. One in five people on the streets of Ninjago City wore all black, and the movie theaters held all day marathons of every Fritz Donnegan movie ever created to honor him. Even Lloyd was depressed and hid his grief by forcing Morro to go to the marathon with him as a "learning experience." (Morro thought the actual plot of the movies was more than a little stupid but seemed fascinated with the movie theater and the concept of a movie itself.)

Jay thanked the others for pushing him to meet his father before he missed out on the opportunity, as he now saw he would have if he had waited. They offered to go to the funeral with him, which touched Jay, but he insisted he wanted to go alone.

Fritz Donnegan's funeral was a gaudy affair, crowds of people in costumes throwing flowers and holding banners and quoting the movies and comic books.

Cliff Gordon's funeral was extremely private. Jay was the only one there, save the lawyer who handed Jay Cliff's will.

It was a single sheet of paper with one sentence written on it.

 _I, Clifford Gordon, being of sound mind and body, will my estate, wealth, and assets to Jay Walker, my biological son._

Jay traced his finger over the signature at the bottom. A year ago, he would have killed for an autograph from _Fritz Donnegan_. Now, it was only a reminder of how much time they had missed out on.

Standing, Jay laid his hand fondly on the simple, wooden coffin.

"Goodbye, Dad," he whispered. "Take good care of her."

* * *

"And, _voila_!" Lydia announced, unfolding her piece of paper she had just hacked at with scissors. "Snowflake!"

The gaggle of girls "oohed" and "aahed." Judging from the coats they were wearing, they had lived someplace cold. Because the Lost Souls had reappropriated Gem's old castle ("so Morro knows where to find me") in the jungle climate, pretty much as far from _cold_ as one could get, Lydia had taken pity on them and helped them decorate one of the many upstairs sitting rooms as a winter wonderland.

"Hey, Lydia?" Corrine called from the open doorway. "There's a messenger downstairs asking for you."

"Thanks," she said before turning back to the little girls. "Alright, now I want to see some beautiful snowflakes when I get back. And, be careful not to cut yourself with the… scissors…" Lydia trailed off as she realized it would be physically impossible for them to cut themselves with ordinary scissors. "Erm, um, you know what I mean."

The girls giggled but agreed to be careful, and Lydia headed out of the room and down the hall toward the staircase.

"Lydia!"

She stopped and turned to see Mikey, one of the little boys from the original Lost Soul camp that had idolized Morro, run up to her. He pointed accusingly at Steven who was holding Gem's hand.

"Gem is always on Steven's team!" He complained, pouting. "Make her be on my team for once!"

Lydia grinned, trying not to laugh. After almost single handedly defeating their enemies, Gem had earned herself a reputation and following that rivalled that of Morro's; if anything, it certainly eclipsed her previous reputation as the freaky hypnotist who owned the most souls in the Departed Realm.

Gem, generally very antisocial, had been wary of the attention at first, but with a gentle reminder that Morro would not want her to suffer from loneliness in his absence, had hesitantly opened herself up to friendship… and found that she liked it very much.

Not that any friend would come close to filling Morro's spot in her heart, but it was something.

"Why don't you guys find something you can all do together?" Lydia suggested, gesturing to the room she had just exited. "There's some girls in there decorating the room like winter."

Steven and Mikey both grimaced since this activity seemed more than a little girly, but Gem gasped excitedly and pulled on Steven's hand. "Come on!"

The boys, reluctant to displease their unofficial leader, allowed themselves to be led into the sitting room. Gem waved at Lydia over her shoulder, and Lydia waved back.

Lydia hurried down the stairs, eager to find out what kind of message would be waiting for her- when Garmadon intercepted her.

"Have you seen Dr. Julien?" Garmadon huffed, slightly out of breath as he adjusted the chessboard and box of chess pieces under his arm.

"He's not tinkering in the garage?" She asked, eyebrows shooting up with surprise.

"Do you really think I would have come to you before looking in the garage?" Garmadon countered, slightly offended that she even had to ask.

Lydia rubbed her chin. "He might be bird watching in the garden."

"The garden!" Garmadon exclaimed, as if it was the most outrageous suggestion he had ever heard. "You know, as a former evil warlord and master strategist, you think I would be able to beat an old man at chess."

Lydia resisted the urge to point out that Garmadon was also an old man. "Sorry, Garmadon, but I think if anyone's going to beat him, it will be Zane."

Garmadon rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence." He patted her shoulder as he passed her, heading toward the garden in search of his opponent.

Finally, Lydia reached the door beside the drawbridge. She paused with her hand on the knob, listening to make sure no one else was in dire need of her assistance.

When she heard nothing, she pulled the door open to present a rather irritated looking, rather small, rather weaselly man.

"Lydia, I presume?" He asked in a nasally voice.

"Yep! Who's asking?" She replied cheerfully.

"The Bone Keeper," he said, handing her two pieces of paper. "Who else?"

One was a map of the Departed Realm with a red x marked on it. The other was a note with two words.

 _Your husband._

Lydia smiled.

* * *

 **And, that brings Broken Circle to a close.**

 **I really hope you guys liked it! Looking back, I really cannot believe all the love and support this story has gotten. When I hesitantly posted the first chapter of Lost Soul so long ago, I NEVER imagined that that story would come as far as it has now! And, I owe it all to you guys! All of your reviews and incredibly nice words just mean more to me than I could ever possibly describe, and I'll never be able to thank you guys enough for sticking with me (especially through the incredibly difficult semester I had!)**

 **Because of all the aforementioned crazy stuff that prevented me from posting this chapter, I also have not started the sequel yet, but as soon as I post this, I will be opening a blank document and beginning :D Once again, I'm not sure when I will begin posting it, but I hope it will not be too long from now, seeing as it is summer and I'm super pumped about it :D**

 **I also have quite a few ideas for the oneshot series about the ninja getting to know Morro better bouncing around in my head, so I hope to post a few of those every now and then (but once again, the update schedule will NOT be regular) :D Hopefully those will tide you guys over XD**

 **I haven't forgotten about the Five Times series either! The sequel is top priority at the moment, but I will come back to those, I promise! :D**

 **SO, (if you're somehow still reading this) I'd love to hear:**

 **A) What your favorite chapter of Broken Circle was?**

 **And B) Whether you liked Lost Soul or Broken Circle more?**

 **It's not going to hurt my feelings whatever your answers are XD It's just for fun, and please don't feel pressured to respond if you don't want to XD**

 **Once again, thank you guys so much for all the love Broken Circle has received. You guys are truly amazing :D**

 **See you soon! ;D**


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